The British government agency which regulates advertising partially reversed a ban on a racy Calvin Klein campaign featuring scantily clad singer-songwriter FKA Twigs.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled in January that an ad campaign for the brand’s spring collection from last year featured images that were overtly sexual and which served to objectify the singer.
The agency determined that the ad was inappropriate in that it could be seen by children as well as others who may take offense.
The ASA fielded complaints from the public and agreed that the ad “used nudity and centered on FKA Twigs’s physical features rather than the clothing” to present her as a “stereotypical sexual object.”
But the ASA on Wednesday partially reversed course, saying that the ad was permissible though it would still be banned from being featured on outdoors posters because of the risk it could be seen by children.
“The decision to revisit our original ruling took place in the context of the significant strength of public feeling, including views expressed by FKA Twigs, in response to our findings, but was driven by our concern that our rationale for banning the ad was substantially flawed,” an ASA spokesperson said.
News of the reversal was reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The initial decision to ban the image of FKA Twigs was met with outrage given that a similar Calvin Klein campaign featuring actor Jeremy White, who is seen wearing nothing but underwear, was not subject to similar scrutiny.
Two of Kendall Jenner’s Calvin Klein ads, where she appeared topless, were also investigated but were ultimately found not to have breached any of the ASA’s advertising rules.
“The media reaction to our January ruling included accusations of double standards given other Calvin Klein advertising, featuring the actor [Jeremy] Allen White, which broke at around the time we published the ruling,” the agency said in a blog post.
“The challenge was that if FKA Twigs was objectified then surely Jeremy Allen White was too?”
But in assessing the White ads, the ASA said they were not inappropriate.
“Our view is that the Jeremy Allen White ads would be unlikely to break our rules,” an ASA spokesperson said.
FKA Twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett, took to social media and assailed the ASA.
She wrote in a January Instagram post that “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.”
A spokesperson for Calvin Klein was not immediately available to comment.
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