The independent British regulator for all media advertising, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), has banned a Calvin Klein advertisement in Great Britain.
The ban relates to a campaign featuring British musician FKA Twigs, the authority said on Wednesday. The campaign, released in April last year, resulted in two complaints to the ASA. Complainants found the advertising to be overly sexualized, offensive and irresponsible. They particularly criticized the public portrayal of women “as sex objects”.
In the advertisement, FKA Twigs can be seen with her denim blouse partially removed, revealing parts of her buttocks and her right breast. It has now been banned due to its classification as “potentially offensive” and as an example of the “objectification of women”. The slogan ‘Calvins or nothing’ emblazoned on the poster is reminiscent of the infamous 80s advert featuring American actress Brooke Shields, in which she was shown wearing tight ‘combat jeans’ with the slogan ‘Nothing comes between me and my Calvins’.
The brand, which belongs to the US clothing group, defended itself by arguing that the advertising was in the same style as other campaigns by the brand that were previously published in the UK. In addition, the singer is a “confident and strong woman” and the campaign was created through mutual consultation.
Campaign is not the first of its kind
This isn’t the first time the ASA has received complaints about Calvin Klein. A campaign that was published at the same time and showed the American model Kendall Jenner has already caused a stir. In the first picture the model can be seen topless, albeit with her hands over her breasts; in another picture she is only lightly dressed. However, the ASA rejected these complaints because the posters did not emphasize Jenner’s body “in a way that portrayed her as a sexual object.” In addition, the extent of the nudity does not go beyond what would be expected in a lingerie advertisement.
Calvin Klein is known for controversial advertising. In 1992, the then underage British model Kate Moss appeared topless in the brand’s underwear. Later, a campaign by US photographer Steven Meisel with a group of young models caused a stir. In May 2022, a commercial featuring a pregnant trans man sparked an internet debate.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.nl. Translated and edited by Heide Halama.