Did Participating in Balenciaga’s Show Cost Cardi B and Kim Kardashian Thousands of Followers?

Rapper Cardi B experienced a whirlwind 24 hours as she made her runway debut for Balenciaga’s autumn 2024 show in Los Angeles. Wearing a blue, faux-fur coat and limited-edition Jacob & Co. jewelry, she shared the stage with celebrities like Ashley Graham, Kim Kardashian, Eva Longoria, Salma Hayek, Zooey Deschanel, and brand ambassador Nicole Kidman.

However, the aftermath appears to be equally intense, marked by a significant social media backlash. In the 24 hours following Cardi B’s appearance, she suffered a loss of over 130,000 followers on Instagram, the largest single-day decline in the past month, according to Reply Poker’s research. Notably, Kim Kardashian and her sister Kendall Jenner, who also attended the show, experienced substantial drops, with Kardashian losing 300,000 followers and Jenner losing even more at 500,000.

The Balenciaga show in Los Angeles followed the controversial “It’s Different” campaign, which aimed to signal a new era for the brand after a tumultuous 2022. The brand faced accusations of sexualizing children in an ad campaign, leading to a severe public backlash. The campaign featured teddy bears wearing padlock necklaces and harnesses, with one image seemingly using legal papers related to child sexual assaults as a prop in the background.

Despite public apologies and efforts to move on from the scandal, the recent show’s fallout suggests that the public is not ready to forgive and forget. Balenciaga itself lost 6,082 followers post-show, indicating ongoing repercussions. Even celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian, who had initially distanced herself from the brand during the scandal, continue to face consequences as evidenced by the significant drop in her Instagram following.

Interestingly, newly appointed Balenciaga brand ambassador Nicole Kidman emerged relatively unscathed, gaining 5,000 followers since the show. This highlights the fickle nature of online followers and suggests that, for some, the issues surrounding Balenciaga’s past controversies are far from resolved. Despite the brand’s efforts to move forward, the recent decline in figures indicates that the public may not be ready to put the scandal behind them just yet.