Shoe brand slammed over ‘inappropriate’ ad campaign featuring little girls in bikinis

A celebrated Australian footwear marque has responded aft being heavy criticized for its caller trading run featuring young girls wearing swimwear.

Billini Shoes launched its Mini Summer 25 postulation past week crossed its societal media platforms.

The run includes respective young girls enjoying various summertime activities, from eating crystal blocks to playing cards.

One changeable shows a small woman reference Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. A ray poolside publication astir toxic relationships and haunting your ex. Just what each seven-year-old needs!

An Australian footwear marque is nether occurrence aft launching its Mini Summer 25 postulation past week, featuring young girls wearing swimwear successful nan campaign. Billini Shoes

While different shows 1 of nan youngsters taking a “selfie” successful beforehand of a reflector while wearing a two-piece summertime set.

In 1 scene, nan girls tin beryllium seen wearing bikinis paired pinch sunnies and a wrap complete their heads.

However, contempt nan brand’s effort to observe girlhood, nan imagery of children modeling strappy sandal shoes while dressed successful bikinis has seemingly missed nan people — pinch immoderate labeling nan advertisement “inappropriate”.

Beauty influencer Jillie Clark is among those calling nan marque out.

She took to TikTok to aerial her concerns, which galore successful nan comments conception echoed.

“I’m calling retired 1 marque successful peculiar coming for what I personally consciousness is simply a deplorable trading strategy,” she begins.

“Whether you person children aliases not, this is simply a speech that, arsenic consumers, we should beryllium having and arsenic consumers, we should beryllium holding brands to relationship for trading strategies for illustration this.”

Clark explained that she had antecedently purchased products from Billini, which near her emotion particularly shocked by nan campaign.

What concerned her astir was that nan advertisement had been targeted wrong her societal media feed.

“Billini, I person conscionable been targeted by 1 of your ads featuring 2 young girls successful their swimwear,” she explained.

“They could not beryllium immoderate older than 7 years old, 1 of which is wearing a bikini and let’s conscionable beryllium honorable that is not that different from underwear, and it is simply a very different point for a kid to beryllium depicted successful a marketplace run wearing that compartaivley to an big being depicted wearing that online.”

Clark went connected to mobility why nan outfit prime was selected astatine all, considering nan marque doesn’t manufacture swimwear and was meant to beryllium promoting shoes.

“As a marque to usage this arsenic a trading strategy, particularly erstwhile you don’t moreover waste swimwear, I find it to beryllium wholly and utterly unacceptable that you sat down astatine a information array and said ‘this is nan trading strategy, this is for financial gain, this is what we’re moving guardant with,’” she said.

The comments connected her post, galore from concerned parents, were afloat of agreement.

“Just because it’s ineligible doesn’t make it ethical. The net is afloat of sickness. Take it down,” 1 commenter demanded.

Another wrote: “Say it louder! As a mum, this is conscionable mind-boggling.”

Billini Shoes’ run featured girls wearing bikinis paired pinch sunnies and a wrap complete their heads, sparking backlash from parents. Billini Shoes

“If you can’t show consecutive distant what they’re selling, they’ve failed. The advertisement I saw was NOT a footwear ad,” a 3rd criticised.

On nan brand’s official TikTok page, group person started to time off comments slamming nan marque directly.

“Marketing and societal media squad request to do immoderate reflecting,” 1 personification suggested.

“Legal and wrong trading laws doesn’t adjacent due aliases ethical. Cute clothes, tiny shoes (no excessive tegument exposure) was much than capable to get nan trading connection across,” a 2nd agreed.

Meanwhile, Billini has responded successful nan comments of Clark’s video, writing:

“Thank you for calling our attraction to this, we wholly perceive your interest and admit you raising it. All contented from this run was created successful statement pinch Australian kid information laws, on pinch strict parental supervision and approval.

“We are taking nan matter earnestly and are presently reviewing nan imagery associated pinch this run to guarantee it ever reflects our values and organization expectations, and of course, protects kid safety. Thank you for helping america beryllium much mindful of this successful nan future.”

News.com.au has requested further remark from Billini.