The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has revised its ruling on a previously banned Calvin Klein advertisement featuring FKA Twigs. In an initial ruling, the poster was banned because it was considered “likely to cause serious offence” and “objectifying women”. The poster featured the singer in a denim shirt draped over one shoulder, with the remaining profile of her body unclothed. The tagline accompanying the image read, “Calvins or nothing”. Following two complaints about the advert, which stated that it was “overly sexualised” and objectified women, the ASA upheld the complaints.
In response to the ban, FKA Twigs denied that she was a “stereotypical sexual object”. She maintained that the image depicted a “beautiful strong woman of colour whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.” After reviewing the decision, the ASA acknowledged that the image of the singer was “overtly sexual” but stated that she was “confident and in control, and therefore she had not been presented as a stereotypical sexual object”. Despite this, the ASA still considers the advert “not suitable for display in an untargeted medium, a poster, where anyone could see it”, including children.
The ASA statement also indicated that the external criticism it received was “important” and “gave us pause for thought”, but it was “not in fact the reason we revisited our ruling.” The reason cited was “our unease about the wording in the ruling explaining our rationale for our decision that FKA Twigs had been objectified.” The ASA added that it was “not afraid to challenge our own thinking and change our decisions if we think we’ve got it wrong”.
FKA Twigs responded to the ASA’s decision in the initial ruling by calling out double standards, saying, “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.” She concluded by thanking Calvin Klein and the photographers for providing her with a platform to express herself freely
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