Singer FKA twigs’ Calvin Klein ad banned for being too sexual


The fashion brand noted FKA twigs collaborated to produce the image and approved it before publication

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Calvin Klein’s poster featuring British singer FKA twigs has been banned in the U.K. for being likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women and presenting the musician as a “stereotypical sexual object.”

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The ad, which came out last March, features FKA twigs wearing an open button-down shirt that exposes one side of her body, including part of one breast and the side of her buttocks.

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“Calvins or nothing,” the designer’s Instagram post read with the image.

The U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received two complaints that the image was “overly sexualized,” offensive and irresponsible due to how it was displayed, according to the BBC.

The regulator ruled the “image’s composition placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised.”

It also noted that by focusing on FKA twigs’ “physical features,” it had “presented her as a stereotypical sexual object.”

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“We therefore concluded the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence,” the ASA said.

Calvin Klein defended the ad, saying it was similar to other posters the company had been releasing in the U.K. for years.

The fashion brand called FKA twigs — real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett — a “confident and empowered woman,” who collaborated with the company to produce the image and approved it before publication.

It added that all “conventionally sensitive” body areas were fully covered and the singer was in a natural and neutral position, the BBC reported.

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Similar complaints came in about two other posters that featured model Kendall Jenner from the same campaign, however the regulator found Jenner’s ads focused on the clothing, not her body, and the level of nudity was not beyond what people would expect for a lingerie ad.

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It comes after steamy photos of Jeremy Allen White’s new ad campaign for Calvin Klein were released.

The Bear star’s muscular, cut body was on full display in photos and video as he posed in the brand’s iconic boxer briefs.

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FKA twigs was previously featured in a Calvin Klein video campaign in 2016, which she directed and starred in.

“When I first started thinking of concepts for a Calvin Klein advert, it dawned on me that Calvin Klein is such an iconic brand and that I really wanted to combine artistically what I do with the striking imagery Calvin Klein has always maintained,” she said at the time.

“I guess it’s kind of tongue in cheek, fun, sexy but still with the emotional ignition and openness that I always aim to achieve when I direct.”

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