ASA reverses ruling on banned Calvin Klein FKA Twigs ad

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The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has backtracked on its decision regarding a Calvin Klein ad featuring singer FKA Twigs.

On Wednesday (6 March), the ASA published an updated ruling saying that while viewers' attention might be drawn to the model's body, the images were "not sexually explicit".

The ASA added that the ad had presented a woman who appeared to be "confident and in control". It concluded by saying that "the ads were unlikely to be seen as irresponsible or cause serious or widespread offence on the basis of sexual objectification".

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That said, the ASA asked that Calvin Klein ensure that future ads were targeted appropriately and said that these ads must not appear again as a poster on an untargeted medium.

In January of 2024, ASA initially claimed that the ad objectified women and portrayed the singer as a "stereotypical sexual object".

The ASA considered that such a depiction placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body and physical features rather than on the clothing being advertised, and thus ruled the ad overtly sexual and not suitable for display in on an untargeted medium.

The ad featured FKA Twigs wearing a denim shirt that was drawn halfway around her body, leaving the side of her buttocks and half of one breast exposed.

In response, Calvin Klein said that the ad was similar to ads they had been publishing in the UK for many years and said that it was well known for being a pioneering and progressive brand.

The brand added that the image was not vulgar and had highlighted that well-known men were also featured in the campaign, which suggested that it was not focused on sexualising women.

Regarding the level of nudity in the ads, Calvin Klein said the ads were for clothing, including underwear, and so a degree of nudity should be expected.

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