FEATURE:
Don’t Judge Me
IN THIS PHOTO: FKA twigs/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Is the Banned FKA twigs Calvin Klein Advert ‘Stereotypical and Exploitative’ – or Was the Ban Misogynistic and Racist?
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AS this pertains…
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
to someone in the music industry, I wanted to cover the recent story around a Calvin Klein advert being banned. Featuring FKA twigs, it was an image of her with a shirt draped across her body, revealing part of one breast and the side of her buttocks, along with the caption “Calvins or nothing”. Adverts like this have been printed or shown on the T.V. before. In terms of the actual image itself, it is not all-revealing and profane. It is sexy and eye-catching. It is confident and liberating! An artist who would not let herself be exploited or want to project a false image, there has been division around the ban. Different sides of the debate which raise questions around the fact that she is a woman. That she is a mixed-race woman. An advert for Calvin Klein that is appearing on billboards features The Bear star, Jeremy Allen White. Undoubtably looking good, he has been celebrated. Showing sex appeal and flesh, he has been revered for his physique and the fact he reminds people of the Calvin Klein models of old. A classic star who is a perfect fit. Flip that around to FKA twigs. Someone who perhaps revealed slightly less of herself, she instead has been banned and seen as objectified. People complained because she was deemed this stereotypical sex object. People feeling you see more of her than the clothing. I don’t think it was a case of people concerned about the brand worried that the product was being mis-sold. Concerned that some would be confused. Instead, there is a double standard that did not apply to Jeremy Allen White – who, by the way, was wearing practically nothing! Even though he was selling briefs and a billboard features him in them alone, I think he is still wearing less clothing than FKA twigs. In terms of ‘coverage’, there is not a lot in it. He was not seen as exploited or used as a sex object.
I can understand if people were concerned FKA twigs was being used for her body and this was a case of a woman being misrepresented. All about her body rather than her brain. That is fair enough. What we are talking about is Calvin Klein. A brand that has always had a reputation for its sexier adverts. It is not a situation or area where a more intellectual setting would have been appropriate. FKA twigs would have gone in knowing the brief and been fine with it. A fantastic and arresting image that would definitely get people talking about Calvin Klein, it is revealing without being too explicit or crossing any lines. Questions around discrimination asnd misogyny have come up. A woman being banned. Would even a white singer or figure have received the same backlash?! Here is some background and reaction:
“The two complainants also objected to a pair of Calvin Klein adverts featuring the model Kendall Jenner, but the ASA deemed them acceptable, saying one of her holding her breasts was not done “in a manner that portrayed her as a sexual object”, and the other fell within the bounds of acceptable lingerie advertising.
Calvin Klein has defended the FKA twigs advert, saying: “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.” They argued the poses adopted by both her and Jenner were “natural and neutral”.
They also highlighted that FKA twigs and Jenner collaborated with the company and approved the images, and subsequently told interviewers “they felt a sense of empowerment and confidence from having participated”. Calvin Klein also highlighted that male models featured in the same campaign”.
Without getting too forensic, if there was outrage that FKA twigs has part of her breast exposed in the advert, then is that enough to deem an advert inappropriate or offensive. That line between a confident and empowered woman and one being exploited because of her sexuality. It comes to consent, comparisons and standards. FKA twigs has since reacted and not seen any offence or issue. Male models have been as revealing and are not subjected to complaints and judgement. Also, in terms of whether the partial nudity offends people, I would refer people to Jeremy Allen White – and, in fact, advertising campaigns from Calvin Klein and other brands throughout the decades. It is a body. It is skin. There is nothing being show in the twigs campaign that has not been seen and celebrated from other times. Rather than this being an issue around appropriateness and exploitation of women, it does seem misogynistic and racially-motivated. Dig deeper, and something darker is revealed. Not about this being a woman objectified, instead a brave and confident woman of colour has been banned. Someone who has endured pain and unspeakable horrors in the past, this is an image that needed to be out there. FKA twigs responded to the ban:
“NEARLY A YEAR after a partially nude FKA Twigs starred in a Calvin Klein campaign, the ad was banned in the U.K. as it apparently made the singer a “stereotypical sexual object.”
The artist responded to the ban on Wednesday, taking to social media to share her thought. “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,” wrote Twigs on Instagram alongside an image of the ad.
She continued, “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.” Twigs thanked Calvin Klein for giving her “a space to express myself exactly how i wanted to,” adding, “I will not have my narrative changed.”
The Calvins or Nothing ad, which debuted in April 2023, featured Twigs naked, draped only in loosely fitting shirts. The image — which showed the side of Twigs’ buttock and breast — drew complaints to the U.K. Advertising Standards Authority, which ultimately ruled this week that the Twigs ad cannot be displayed or published in its current form again.
“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 in their decision. “We therefore concluded the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause serious [offense].”
However, the ASA also deemed a similar Calvin Klein campaign featuring Kylie Jenner — which also drew complaints — acceptable.
Calvin Klein previously defended the campaign in a statement (via the Guardian), “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.”
In March 2023, Twigs spoke to Rolling Stone about the provocative ad campaign. “You’re literally stripping bare for the public,” Twigs said. “Physicality right now is such a huge point of discussion,” nodding to fashion’s inconsistency to encompass all body types. Though recent years showcased a burgeoning change amongst luxury and retail brands, the last few months have felt like a regression. “We’ve gone from enhanced female body parts to now everyone being obsessed with being so thin”.
It does seem strange that the advert is being banned now. Real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett, the half-Jamaican, part-English and Spanish artist is someone who should be on billboards. Celebrating her heritage. At a time when there is still a preference for white faces and particular body shapes, this ban does feel regressive. An ideal that Calvin Klein want. A brand that has become more inclusive since dark days of fatphobia and the promotion only of thin models, it seems to have taken a step back. Writing for Glamour, Chloe Laws explained how the banned Calvin Klein advert reveals misogyny, racism and double standards:
“In my opinion, the situation is layered in misogyny, racism and double standards. Taking to Instagram, she said: “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."
The ASA statement read: “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, the image’s composition placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised”.
In the full letter, there are some lines that stick out as, I believe, extremely hypocritical and nonsensical, such as: “Her nudity and facial expression, including a direct gaze and open mouth, gave the image an overall sexual overture.”
In my opinion, Jenner’s image is posed in a very similar same way and is objectively more sexualised. It is extremely problematic that a Black woman’s sexuality would be policed and criticised, while—in the same campaign, no less—the White woman’s is not.
Calvin Klein has defended the FKA twigs advert, saying: “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.” The brand continued to say that the poses adopted by both her and Jenner were “natural and neutral”. It’s a solid response from the brand, albeit slightly missing the point—it is precisely the fact that FKA twigs is empowered and confident that has likely caused the complaints in the first place. This is not a world that responds positively to such traits.
The decision from the ASA shows just how impossible it is for women to 'win'. In one action we are objectified, commodified, liberated or empowered, all depending on who you ask. In this ruling the ASA is taking away a woman’s autonomy—doing the sexualising and objectifying it claims to be ruling against”.
These worrying overtured of bias, misogyny and racism do send a very bad message! Even now, in 2024, we are still having these discussions. To be fair, it is not Calvin Klein’s fault. They commissioned the advert and ran with it. They were keen for FKA twigs to be a face of their campaign. It is the decision of the Advertising Standards Authority to comply with complaints and ban the advert that has caused controversy. It is not about decency and exploitation. If the model herself feels she was not exploited and was simply projecting herself as a brave and sexy woman of colour who had control, then why does anyone else think they can speak for her?! It is a double standard where a man or white woman can be more revealing and sexualised and not subjected to criticism or bans. At a time when we should embrace all cultures, races, body sizes, and sexual orientations and genders, this feels like a very troubling statement. Hiding behind an excuse that FKA twigs was a stereotyped sex object, she has hit back saying that she will not have her narrative changed. She is absolutely right! Nobody has any right to speak for her or…
JUDGE her.