Calvin Klein ad featuring FKA Twigs banned over complaints it 'objectified' women

A poster for Calvin Klein featuring British musician FKA twigs has been banned in the UK for being "likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women."

The poster, first seen in April 2023, featured the singer wearing a denim shirt that was drawn halfway around her body, with text reading: "Calvins or nothing."

The picture left the side of FKA twigs buttocks' and half of her breast exposed.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK apparently received just two complaints that the images were "overly sexualised", offensive and irresponsible because they objectified women and were inappropriately displayed.

It agreed with the complaints and banned the advert, saying the poster focused on "the model's body rather than on the clothing being advertised."

In April the fashion powerhouse shared the new poster on their Instagram with the caption: "Body artistry. The spring campaign."

 

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The UK ASA said that "The ad used nudity and centred on FKA twigs' physical features rather than the clothing, to the extent that it presented her as a stereotypical sexual object."

Calvin Klein defended the advert, saying it was similar to those it had been releasing in the UK for many years.

The billion dollar fashion brand said that FKA twigs, is a "confident and empowered woman", and that she had collaborated with Calvin Klein for the ad and had approved the picture before publication.

Calvin Klein additionally stated that "conventionally sensitive" body areas were fully covered and the subject was in a natural and neutral position.

The Advertising Standards Authority did not ban two other posters from the same campaign featuring model Kendall Jenner, after complaints on the same grounds.

The caption of Jenner's poster, also shared on the company's Instagram read: "A sensual muse. The spring campaign"

 

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In spite of receiving complaints regarding Jenner's poster, the ASA found that the second poster did not focus on Jenner's body in a manner that portrayed her as a sexual object and the level of nudity was not beyond that which people would expect for a lingerie ad.