FKA twigs has responded after a Calvin Klein advert was banned for presenting her as a “stereotypical sexual object”.
A UK regulator found the poster – featuring the singer just wearing a denim shirt – was likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women. Writing on Instagram, she suggested the ban – which came after a campaign starring actor Jeremy Allen White went viral – showed “double standards”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said its ruling was clear. In the advert, FKA was wearing a denim shirt drawn halfway around her body, showing the side of her buttocks and half of one breast.
Above her, text read: “Calvins or nothing”. The ASA found the image “placed viewers' focus on the model's body rather than on the clothing being advertised”.
By focusing on her “physical features”, it continued, it felt the advert had “presented her as a stereotypical sexual object”. In her response, FKA twigs wrote: “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.” She went on to apparently reference the Calvin Klein campaign featuring The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White that grabbed headlines last week, with the actor later being asked about it at the Golden Globes.
The musician continued: “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.”
She ended the post by thanking Calvin Klein and fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, saying that she would not have her “narrative changed”. Defending its advert, Calvin Klein said it had been similar to those it had been releasing in the UK for many years.
In response to FKA's post, an ASA spokesperson said: “Our published ruling sets out why, on this occasion, the ad broke the rules by irresponsibly objectifying a woman and being targeted inappropriately.”
— CutC by bbc.com
