A recent Calvin Klein advertisement featuring British singer FKA twigs has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority for presenting her as ‘a stereotypical sexual object’. The poster, which showed the singer with a shirt draped across her body, revealing part of one breast and the side of her buttocks, along with the caption ‘Calvins or nothing’, received complaints from two individuals, who argued that it inappropriately sexualized her.

The Advertising Standards Authority agreed with the complaints, stating that the ad used nudity and focused on FKA twigs’ physical features rather than the clothing, presenting her as a stereotypical sexual object. They also described the advert as ‘irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence’. As a result, the ruling states that the ad must not appear again in the form complained of.

However, the two complainants also objected to a pair of Calvin Klein adverts featuring model Kendall Jenner, but the ASA deemed them acceptable, stating that they did not portray her as a sexual object and fell within the bounds of acceptable lingerie advertising.

Calvin Klein defended the FKA twigs advert, emphasizing that the images were not vulgar and featured confident and empowered women who had chosen to identify with the Calvin Klein brand. They argued that the poses adopted by both FKA twigs and Jenner were ‘natural and neutral’, and highlighted that both singers collaborated with the company and approved the images, expressing a sense of empowerment and confidence from having participated. Calvin Klein also pointed out that male models were featured in the same campaign.

It remains to be seen how this ruling will impact future advertising strategies within the fashion industry, particularly in the portrayal of women and the boundaries of acceptability in advertising.