The UK's advertising regulator has decided to ban a Calvin Klein ad featuring British singer FKA Twigs. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) justified the decision with arguments that the artist had been portrayed as a “stereotypical sexual object”.
In the photo printed on large posters, the singer, whose name is Tahlia Debert Barnett, appears completely naked, wearing only a shirt that covers part of her body. The slogan says: “Calvins or nothing.”
The ASA has reportedly received complaints from two consumers, accusing the North American brand of sexualizing the artist's image. The regulator agreed: “The ad used nudity and focused on FKA Twig’s physical characteristics rather than her clothing, presenting her as a stereotypical sexual object,” it said in a statement.
Moreover, he adds, “the composition of the image shifted the consumer's attention to the model's body rather than the clothing being advertised.” It specifies: “The advertisement is irresponsible and may cause serious offence.” Therefore, the advertisement in circulation since April 2023 “should not appear again in the form in which it was the subject of the complaint.”
The complaints in question also pointed to a similar ad starring model Kendall Jenner. However, the ASA disagreed with consumers, arguing that the photo, which showed the North American woman wearing an open jacket, revealing part of her breasts, had not been taken “in a way to portray her as a sexual object”.
Calvin Klein has already reacted to the ASA's slate, arguing that the campaign's message is completely at odds with female objectification. “The images were not vulgar and were of two confident, empowered women who chose to identify with the Calvin Klein brand. The ads contained a progressive and enlightened message,” he wrote in a statement. He cited it Watchman.
He says that both FKA Twigs – who has not reacted to the controversy – and Kendall Jenner, were “natural and neutral” in the photos. In fact, the photos were approved by both heroes. In the same campaign, they also took similar photos with men, namely South Korean footballer Son Heung-min.
The star of Calvin Klein's latest advertising campaign is Jeremy Allen White, the protagonist The bear. The photos, taken by famous fashion photographer Mert Alas, were shown last week and set the Internet on fire, with more comments on the actor's body than on the underwear creations he was wearing. “This seems illegal,” one user wrote in the comments of the ad video.
For several decades now, Calvin Klein — founded in 1968 by an innovator of the same name — has been known for its unconventional campaigns. This is not the first time they have sparked controversy. In the 90s, photos of Mark Wahlberg with Kate Moss became famous, both topless and wearing the brand's jeans. Years later, in an interview with the BBC, the British model admitted that she felt “vulnerable and afraid” while taking the photo, as she saw her image as “objective.”
Kate Moss at the Calvin Klein show in 1992 pic.twitter.com/T6Y80ikuXH
– Gia (@Virgoessence) August 25, 2022
The same happened with Brooke Shields, who starred in the 1980 campaign, famously saying: “You want to know what's standing between me and the Calvins? Anything.” Only later did the actress realize the double meaning of the sexual content of the statement, and expressed her regret that it had not been explained to her at the time. “If they intended to use the double meaning, they did not explain it to me.”
Destroying shields. New York, 1980, Calvin Klein Jeans © Richard Avedon pic.twitter.com/NWV8ZXLArI
— American Notes © (@American_Notes_) April 1, 2023
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