FKA Twigs defends Calvin Klein campaign banned in UK.
The advertising by the brand, which belongs to the US clothing group PVH Corporation, was described as “too sexualising” by the British all-media advertising regulator Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on Wednesday withdrawn from circulation. Now the British musician FKA Twigs, who is depicted in the campaign with her body partially exposed, is responding to the ban in writing.
“I don’t see the ‘stereotypical sex object’ that I’m described as,” she writes in a post on the social network Instagram. “I see a beautiful, strong, black woman whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.” She also says she compared the image to similar ads: “When I look at other campaigns like this, I can’t help but get the impression that there are double standards here.”
FKA Twigs also stated that she is proud of her physicality and cited some famous women from history who have been criticized for expressing their sensuality on screen: She was keen to break the boundaries of American dancer Josephine Baker, singer Eartha Kitt and Jamaican model Grace Jones.
Calvin Klein had previously defended its ad, which first appeared in April last year, saying it was similar to other campaigns that have been running in the UK for years. The brand described FKA Twigs as a “confident and strong woman” and emphasized that both parties worked together amicably to produce such imagery.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.nl. Translated and edited by Heide Halama.