🇺🇸 High Fashion, Hot Water

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Good morning, and happy Friday! Some people worry about getting older, but fret not: a study says life really does get better with age…

Plus, here are the 10 best states to find a job right now...

Also, this company figured out how to make every home a smart home…

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🐎 Georgia Senate Runoff Election: Warnock 51, Walker 49 (The Hill/Emerson)

🐎 Georgia: Trump vs. Biden: Biden 44, Trump 43 (The Hill/Emerson)

🐘 Georgia: DeSantis vs. Biden: DeSantis 47, Biden 43 (The Hill/Emerson)

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 43, Disapprove 56 (Rasmussen Reports)

TRENDING

Left: This MAGA PAC Raised Nearly $2 Million Off the Trucker Protests. Where Did All the Money Go? (Mother Jones)

Left: Tucker Carlson's Newest Conspiracy Theory Involves The NHL Brainwashing Sports Fans (Huffington Post)

Left: The deep roots of antisemitism’s resurgence in America (Vox)

Right: Oath Keepers Founder Convicted Of Seditious Conspiracy Over Capitol Riot (Daily Wire)

Right: A GOP With Backbone Would Support Elon Musk, Punish Apple, And Fight For Free Speech On Twitter (The Federalist)

Right: House Dems' new leader, said Tara Reade's Biden accusation should be 'investigated seriously' (Fox News)

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QUICK CLICKS

Senate and the Strike, Biden's Plan Still Blocked, 12 Teams

Economy: Senate votes to avert rail strike; sends the legislation to Biden for his signature (NBC News)

US: Appeals court shuts down special master in Trump documents case (ABC News)

US: Over 73,000 'gotaways' at southern border in November, highest ever recorded (Fox News)

US: Supreme Court says Biden's student loan forgiveness program remains blocked for now, schedules arguments for February (CNN)

US: Hooded Kanye West praises Nazis during Alex Jones interview: 'I see good things about Hitler' (NY Post)

Sports: College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams in 2024 (Axios)

Economy: An inflation gauge tracked by the Fed slows to still-high 6% (AP)

World: US, France present united front to hold Russia to account on Ukraine (Reuters)

CULTURE

High Fashion, Hot Water

Balenciaga, a Spanish high-end fashion label, finds itself embroiled in controversy surrounding two recent ad campaigns. One featured children clutching teddy bears that are wearing BDSM gear. Another used documents from controversial court cases and authors as props. The outcry has been extensive, with many accusing Balenciaga of child exploitation.

Reporting from the Right: Balenciaga files $25M suit over controversial ad amid ‘BDSM teddy bear’ backlash (New York Post)

Reporting from the Left: Balenciaga scandal – latest: Celebrities throw out ‘trash’ Balenciaga over child ad campaign (The Independent)

From The Flag: Balenciaga has since issued an apology and blamed one of the ad campaign’s photographers. A lawsuit has also been filed. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Balenciaga Scandal Is a Mess for the Company, and Right-Wing Fodder

• The Balenciaga controversy has spread and been picked up by right-leaning news outlets who feel its part of a larger conspiracy.

• Parents have a bone to pick with the types of clothes being marketed to girls and young women – namely they’re hypersexualized.

• The public is angry and demands answers as to why this was approved: simply saying “sorry” isn’t sufficient in terms of damage control.

“When High Fashion and QAnon Collide” Elizabeth Paton, Vanessa Friedman and Jessica Testa, New York Times: “One campaign featured photos of children clutching handbags that look like teddy bears in bondage gear. Another campaign featured photos that include paperwork about child pornography laws. Together, they ignited a firestorm that traveled from the internet to Fox News, fueled by allegations that Balenciaga condoned child exploitation. The controversy has become one of the most explicit collisions of internet culture, politics, fashion and conspiracy theories to date. … As online criticism of the campaigns spread, the story was picked up across right-leaning media outlets, including The New York Post and the prime time Fox News show ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’ The show has helped to publicize and mainstream QAnon, the internet conspiracy theory that ‘a group of Satan-worshiping elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control our politics and media.’ ‘Here you have a major international retail brand promoting kiddie porn and sex with children,’ Mr. Carlson told viewers.”

“Balenciaga and other brands need to stop sexualizing children” Carli Pierson, USA TODAY Opinion: “Bedazzled booty shorts and crop tops as far as the eye can see – that was the nightmare that I found myself staring into when I went shopping for clothes for my young daughters this weekend. Why a child would need a high-rise short is beyond me. But to imagine why someone would sell crop tops and high-rise shorts to 6-year-olds makes me slightly ill. … From Balenciaga to Zara, big name brands are hypersexualizing kids, knowingly or not. … It's not about politics, either. I happen to be a progressive, but I don't care where you are on the political spectrum – I'd venture that most parents would agree that little kids need to be dressed in a way that keeps them safe. That is just good parenting and making conscientious consumer choices. The bottom line should be kids' safety, not profitability.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: The Price of Provocation: What’s Next for Balenciaga? Christina Binkley and Maliha Shoaib, Vogue

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Creepy World of Fashion and So-Called Art Knows No Shame

• The world of high-end fashion and other realms involving artistic expression are rooted in peer pressure and unchecked eccentricity.

• It’s nothing short of mind-blowing that these ad campaigns would be approved, and Balenciaga may not be able to survive the fallout.

• There is a disturbing connection between these ad campaigns and the private art collection of Democratic power broker John Podesta.

“From Ye to Balenciaga, artistic license shouldn’t mean anything goes” By Naomi Schaefer Riley, Deseret Opinion: “... many people have lost sight of the difference between sexually explicit content and pushing the artistic envelope. How else to explain the story of Balenciaga? … The fashion company is now suing the firm that produced the ad and the photographer says it’s not his fault, but how many eyes must have passed over this multimillion-dollar campaign before it was approved? Sure, maybe some people might not have noticed that the pictures included documents referring to a child pornography court case. But who doesn’t notice teddy bears dressed up in leather and chains? In all likelihood people did notice but were afraid to speak up because no one in fashion or advertising wants to be known as a prude. These companies think they are producing art, that their fashion is fueled by high-level creativity and that the creators are just eccentrics who need to be indulged in the name of their craft.”

“Balenciaga sexually exploited kids to sell a revolting fetish - and I'll never buy the brand again.” Meghan McCain, Daily Mail: “This is sick. Who are they appealing to? Who in their right mind thought it was even remotely appropriate? … Balenciaga tried to get ahead of the controversy, but they couldn't. 'Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign,' the brand posted on Instagram. Yeah, no kidding. But that doesn't explain how this happened in the first place. … From these Balenciaga ad campaigns, to parents encouraging their kids to participate in drag shows… adults are too often looking the other way when their attention is demanded. If a fashion brand was caught using racist, homophobic, or bigoted imagery heads would roll immediately. … In fact, I don't know if there is a coming back from this level of scandal for Balenciaga. … Let's be clear, this isn't cancel culture. This is about protecting children. And adults need to step up.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Balenciaga’s Child Porn Advocacy: an Echo of Tony Podesta’s Disturbing Art Collection Mark Judge, American Greatness

FLAG THIS

Attention Seekers

In addition to the latest scandal, Balenciaga made headlines in August when it released a design called the “Trash Pouch,” which was inspired by, yes, an actual garbage bag. It's part of the Winter 22 collection and hit shelves at a price tag of $1,790. That is not a joke.

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Monroe Doctrine, Morning Person, Hayes' Phone Call

On December 2, 1823, during his annual address to Congress, President James Monroe proclaims a new US foreign policy initiative that becomes known as the “Monroe Doctrine.” Primarily the work of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the Monroe Doctrine forbade European interference in the American hemisphere but also asserted US neutrality in regard to future European conflicts. Monroe (left) and Adams (right) are pictured above.

Inverse: Can You Become a Morning Person? Sleep Scientists Say it is Possible With These Key Tips

Crunchbase: ‘Not New York City’ Startup Stock On The Rise

Harvard Business Review: The Myth of the Brilliant, Charismatic Leader

Today I Learned Rutherford B. Hayes was the first US President to talk on the telephone. While attending a clambake in Rhode Island in 1877, Hayes took a call from Alexander Graham Bell. After Bell spoke, Hayes said the first words by a US President on the phone: "Please speak a little more slowly."