FKA twigs. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images.
Update: January 11. FKA twigs has defended the Calvin Klein advert, writing on Instagram that the ban represents "double standards" when compared to similar campaigns, perhaps a reference to the current Calvin Klein promotion starring male actor Jeremy Allen White.
"i do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me," twigs wrote. "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 [photographers] mert and marcus, who gave me a space to express myself exactly how i wanted to – i will not have my narrative changed."
A poster from Calvin Klein’s “Calvins or nothing” campaign has been banned by the United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Authority on the grounds that its depiction of FKA twigs in a state of partial undress was “likely to cause serious offence,” BBC News reports. The composition of the offending image — one of several photos of twigs posted to Instagram by the clothing brand in March 2023 alongside a new song and music video of hers — “placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than on the clothing being advertised,” the watchdog agency wrote in its ruling, which came in response to two complaints from concerned citizens. The ASA also contended that the ad “presented [twigs] as a stereotypical sexual object.”
Calvin Klein initially responded to the ASA complaints by pointing out that the ad was similar to ones the company had been running in the U.K. for years, that some nudity is to be expected in underwear ads, and that the “sensitive body parts areas” were not exposed. twigs has also defended the campaign, saying in a Rolling Stone interview that it had empowered her to “be who I am — a strong woman.” The ASA had previously rejected similar complaints to posters of Kendall Jenner from the same campaign.
The FADER has reached out to representatives of FKA twigs and Calvin Klein for comment.
