FKA twigs defends Calvin Klein images after ad is banned

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jan 11, 2024

​The UK’s ads watchdog the ASA has banned a Calvin Klein ad starring FKA twigs on the grounds that it objectifies women.

The supposedly “overly sexualised” poster featured singer FKA twigs wearing a denim shirt that was drawn halfway around her body, showing the side of her buttocks and half of one breast. The accompanying text reads: “Calvins or nothing”.

The ASA found the ad was “likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women”.

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But the star has hit back saying in an Instagram post: “i do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me. i see a beautiful strong woman of colour whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.

“in light of reviewing other campaigns past and current of this nature, i can’t help but feel there are some double standards here. so to be clear…

“I am proud of my physicality and hold the art i create with my vessel to the standards of women like josephine baker, eartha kitt and grace jones who broke down barriers of what it looks like to be empowered and harness a unique embodied sensuality. thank you to ck and mert and marcus who gave me a space to express myself exactly how i wanted to - i will not have my narrative changed.”

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

Defending its advert, which was first seen in April, Calvin Klein said it had been similar to those it had been releasing in the UK for many years.

The fashion brand described the British singer/songwriter and dancer as a “confident and empowered woman”, noting she had collaborated with the company to produce the image and had approved it before publication.

It added that all "conventionally sensitive" body areas were fully covered and FKA twigs was in a natural and neutral position.

Two people had complained that the images were "overly sexualised", offensive and irresponsible because they objectified women and were inappropriately displayed.

The complaints were also directed towards two posters from the same campaign that featured model Kendall Jenner.

But the ASA found the posters did not focus on Kendall’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 advert.