Singer-songwriter FKA Twigs has strongly criticised the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) decision to ban her recent poster ad for Calvin Klein for “objectifying women.”
The offending image depicts a black-and-white image of FKA Twigs draped in a Calvin Klein shirt wrapped across the left side of her body, partially revealing her right breast and right buttock. The copy read: Calvins or nothing.
In a furious Instagram post, FKA Twigs accused the ASA of ‘double standards’, saying: “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.”
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It formed part of a series of OOH creatives which also featured US model Kendall Jenner, although her posters – which were also complained about – managed to avoid censure.
The other two posters flagged up by complainants featured Kendall Jenner variously in underwear and naked from the waist up wearing nothing but a pair of Calvin Klein jeans, with her arms crossed over her chest.
This controversy comes as another Calvin Klein ad – featuring ‘The Bear’s’ Jeremy Allen – is enjoying considerable success, despite the fact that Allen is shown wearing nothing but a rather small pair of white boxers. The ASA revealed to the BBC yesterday that it had indeed received three complaints about that ad over concerns of “sexual objectification.”
Responding to FKA Twigs’s allegations, the ASA said in a statement: “Our published ruling sets out why, on this occasion, the ad broke the rules by irresponsibly objectifying a woman and being targeted inappropriately,” namely that the ad draws more attention to the singer’s body than to the actual product on display.
