Shortly after a British advertising watchdog group ruled that Calvin Klein posters showing singer FKA twigs with part of her breast exposed “presented her as a stereotypical sex object” and could not be displayed in Britain, the singer denounced “double standards” on Instagram. an apparent reference to a new Calvin Klein campaign starring actor Jeremy Allen White.
The Advertising Standards Authority, an industry group set up to self-regulate advertising in Britain, issued its decision to ban the ad on Wednesday, nine months after receiving two complaints about the poster campaign, which also featured the model and actress Kendall Jenner.
The group found that FKA twigs' image, in which the singer wears a denim shirt over one shoulder, leaving much of her body visible, “placed viewers' attention on the model's body rather than her clothing.” that was announced”.
“The ad used nudity and focused on FKA twigs' physical features rather than clothing, to the point of presenting her as a stereotypical sexual object,” the agency wrote, ultimately concluding that the ad “was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offense.” “. “
FKA twigs on Wednesday disputed the agency's characterization. “I don't see the 'stereotypical sex object' that I've been labeled with,” he captioned the image, a black-and-white photo of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, which he posted to his Instagram account. “I see a beautiful, strong woman of color whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.”
The singer, whose representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday, alluded to other announcements that she felt seemed to be flying under the radar.
“In light of reviewing other past and current campaigns of this nature,” he continued in the caption, “I can't help but feel there is a double standard here.”
Many online interpreted his comment as a reference to a new Calvin Klein campaign starring Mr. White, an actor best known for his role as nervous chef Carmy Berzatto in the television series “The Bear.” In a video released as part of the new campaign, a muscular Mr. White strips down to his tank top and shorts before climbing onto a New York rooftop in his underwear, flexing, doing push-ups and reclining on an open couch. free.
Toby King, a spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority, said in an email on Friday that the agency had so far received three complaints about television and magazine ads featuring White. King was at pains to emphasize that while the authority was reviewing the complaints, which claim the ads “sexually objectify” Mr. White, the ads themselves were not currently being investigated.
King said the authority had no timetable for when consideration of the new ads could be completed. “We try to resolve complaints as quickly as possible,” he wrote, “but we have a duty to ensure that our investigations and decisions are thorough and robust.”
The Advertising Standards Authority is responsible for regulating advertisements in Great Britain that may be considered offensive or explicit. Ads are removed if they use people's bodies to attract viewers' attention in a way unrelated to a product or if they sexualize people through gender stereotypes.
Sexually provocative imagery has long been a part of Calvin Klein's brand identity, from the company's landmark campaigns in the 1980s and '90s featuring celebrities like Mark Wahlberg and Brooke Shields to recent campaigns headlined by Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. In its first Instagram post featuring images from Jeremy Allen White's new campaign, the brand, which did not respond to emails seeking comment on Friday, said the actor was “iconic at Calvin Klein Clothes.”
