UK Bans FKA twigs' Calvin Klein Ad For Displaying Her as "Stereotypical Sexual Object"
Calvin Klein defended the ad and noted that it “contained a progressive and enlightened message.”
A Calvin Klein advertisement featuring FKA twigs has been banned in the UK by the country’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
According to reports, the ASA alleged that the ad — which sees the artist and dancer sporting a denim shirt with the right half of her body exposed — is “irresponsible” and could be deemed offensive as it objectifies women. The “image’s composition placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised,” the organization continued, adding that since the focus of the ad was on twigs’ “physical features,” it “presented her as a stereotypical sexual object.”
The ASA investigated twigs’ ad after two people complained that it was “overly sexualized.” There were also complains filed against the ad that featured supermodel Kendall Jenner from the same campaign, although the organization did not deem it offensive.
“The images were not vulgar and were of two confident and empowered women who had chosen to identify with the Calvin Klein brand, and the ads contained a progressive and enlightened message,” the brand said in defense of ad with twigs, adding that her poses were “natural and neutral.” twigs herself addressed the issue in a statement made on Instagram:
“i do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me. i see a beautiful strong woman of colour whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.
in light of reviewing other campaigns past and current of this nature, i can’t help but feel there are some double standards here. so to be clear…
i am proud of my physicality and hold the art i create with my vessel to the standards of women like josephine baker, eartha kitt and grace jones who broke down barriers of what it looks like to be empowered and harness a unique embodied sensuality. thank you to ck and mert and marcus who gave me a space to express myself exactly how i wanted to – i will not have my narrative changed.”
Following the censorship of twigs’ ad, individuals were quick to point out the double standard as Calvin Klein recently unveiled its Spring 2024 campaign starring Jeremy Allen White, which saw The Bear star mostly shirtless and only sporting the brand’s boxers.
