FKA Twigs' Skin-Baring Calvin Klein Ad Banned in UK for Portraying Her as a 'Sexual Object,' Brand Responds
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Calvin Klein said the images were "not vulgar" and instead showed a "confident and empowered" woman
A Calvin Klein ad featuring British singer-songwriter FKA Twigs has been banned in the U.K. following complaints over nudity shown in the image.
On Wednesday, the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority announced that one of three posters from an April 2023 campaign portrayed the “papi bones” singer, 36, as “a stereotypical sexual object.”
A summary of the council’s ruling stated that in one photo, “the side of her buttocks and half of one breast [was] exposed” in a “Calvins or nothing” ad. The complaint also referred to shots with Kendall Jenner in which the model posed “topless with her hands held across her bare chest.”
In the two complaints that the U.K.’s ASA received, the images were deemed as “overly sexualised.”
The complaint went on to say that the ad was “offensive and irresponsible, because they objectified women; and inappropriate for display in an untargeted medium.”
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“The ad used nudity and centered on FKA Twigs’ physical features rather than the clothing, to the extent that it presented her as a stereotypical sexual object,” the ASA said, adding that the “image’s composition placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised.”
According to ASA's ruling summary, Calvin Klein responded to the criticism, saying that “the ads were similar to ads they had been publishing in the U.K. for many years.”
The fashion company said it is “well known for being a pioneering and progressive brand that engaged in a range of equity and equality focused partnerships,” and denied over sexualizing either of the models.
Per ASA's summary, “Calvin Klein said the images were not vulgar and were of two confident and empowered women who had chosen to identify with the Calvin Klein brand, and that the ads contained a progressive and enlightened message.”
Defending the amount of partial nudity featured in their campaign, the brand reiterated that “the ads were for clothing, including underwear, and so a degree of nudity should be expected.”
Related: FKA Twigs Joins Madonna Onstage at London Show: 'On My Way to Meet Muva'
Following the spring ad campaign with Calvin Klein, Twigs teamed up with Madonna as a special guest at the “Material Girl” singer’s Celebration Tour at London’s O2 Arena in October.
"On my way to meet muva and her friends," Twigs captioned an Oct. 16 carousel of photos and videos on Instagram documenting the epic evening.
The video in her upload showed Twigs dancing on a chair in the middle of the stage and receiving a lap dance from three male performers, while Madonna, 65, held up a sign that said "10." She also ended up kissing one of the dancers.
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