Back in January, a Calvin Klein advert featuring FKA twigs was banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. According to the ASA, the ban centred on the fact that the image presented twigs as “a stereotypical sexual object” and may have caused offence (notably, Jeremy Allen White’s internet-breaking campaign for the same label flew under its radar). Now, though, the authority has officially walked back the decision.
According to a new statement, the reversal follows an ASA review, which concluded that the photo – which shows the musician partially nude, but covered with a dark denim shirt – is not sexually explicit. In the statement, the authority also acknowledges that its original ban “was widely criticised, not least by the singer herself”.
On January 11, FKA twigs shared the Calvin Klein ad in an Instagram post, acknowledging the ASA ban in her caption. “i do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me” she wrote. “i see a beautiful strong woman of colour whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine.”
The caption went on to note “some double standards” regarding the decision, in the context of similarly provocative campaigns from the past and present. Alongside the Jeremy Allen White images, many fans pointed to two contemporaneous CK ads featuring Kendall Jenner, with the model topless and covering her breasts with her arms – which were overlooked by the ASA, despite similar complaints – as evidence of this hypocrisy.
“to be clear,” twigs added: “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.”
Despite the new ruling, which technically overturns the ban, the Calvin Klein ad featuring twigs remains banned from display in places where it’s likely to be seen by children. This is due to the ASA maintaining that the “ad was overtly sexual and was, therefore, not suitable for display in an untargeted medium”. It has stated that the republished ruling is final.
