A Calvin Klein advertisement featuring the British musician FKA Twigs has been banned in the UK for being too sexual.
The brand released a controversial poster that featured the 36-year-old singer-songwriter - whose full name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett - donning a denim shirt drawn halfway around her body.
The side of the songstress' buttocks and half of one breast were exposed in the image, with the fashion label's accompanying slogan reading: "Calvins or nothing."
According to The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - which is a self-regulatory organization of the advertising industry in the UK - two individuals complained about the commercial, arguing that it inappropriately sexualized the artist.
Check out the banned ad below:The ASA agreed with their complaints and released a statement that read: "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," per The Guardian.
The organization contended that the "image’s composition placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised," adding that the advert "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," as cited by The Independent.
Their ruling concluded that the ad, which first appeared in April 2023, was "irresponsible and likely to cause serious offense," and "must not appear again in the form complained of".
In addition to this, the two complainants also opposed Kendall Jenner's Calvin Klein advert, however, ASA deemed them acceptable,
saying one image of her holding her breasts was not done "in a manner that portrayed her as a sexual object," and that the level of nudity was not beyond what viewers would expect of a lingerie advert.
Calvin Klein defended the advertisement by comparing it to similar images that have been released in the UK for many years.
The fashion brand stated in a statement that the 'Cellophone' musician collaborated with a team to create the photographs and had approved it before its release.
"The images were not vulgar and were of two confident and empowered women who had chosen to identify with the Calvin Klein brand, and the ads contained a progressive and enlightened message," adding that the singer and Jenner were "natural and neutral".
The label emphasized that Twigs and the 28-year-old reality TV star "felt a sense of empowerment and confidence from having participated," and highlighted that male models also featured in the same campaign - perhaps indicating that they did not face the same criticisms.
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