Calvin Klein is raising more than just eyebrows and stirring social media outrage with a raunchy new ad.
The ad features a suggestive upskirt shot of 23-year-old Danish actress Klara Kristen accompanied by a caption that reads, “I flash in #mycalvins.” Shot by famed photographer Harley Weir, the image includes the hashtag #takeapeek.
Photo: Calvin Klein
Classy, right?
Critics on social media have been quick to compare the image to pornography. Some have called the ad out for its pedophile-like appeal, as Kristen appears painfully young in the image. Other commentators have claimed that the ad invites men to take upskirt shots of women.
@Thejosh1492 @CalvinKlein …and allows men w/ predatory intentions to jump to conclusion “upskirt pics must be ok because here is an ad”.
— Lexistential (@lexistential) May 11, 2016
@CalvinKlein this ad is so wrong. You’re pathetic if this is what you need to do to attract customers now.. — m.a.wuebker (@ammamaw) May 11, 2016
The shot is part of a larger social media campaign, “Erotica,” where models and celebs fill in the blank: “I _______ in my Calvins.” In another series of photos, Kendall Jenner poses suggestively with half of a grapefruit (that resembles a vagina) along with a caption that reads, “I eat in #mycalvins.”
Photo: Calvin Klein
Photo: Calvin Klein
The Calvin Klein brand is of course known to push boundaries before and is no stranger to shock value. But there’s a difference between a racy, artistic ad that oozes with sex appeal and this. It does nothing more than glamourize unwanted sexual attention at a time when we’ve made such headway when it comes to meaningful conversations about sexual harassment and assault. It’s no better than this ad fail when it comes to the promotion of sexual harassment, or this Bloomingdale’s holiday ad that promotes rape.
Despite the backlash, however, Calvin Klein has decided to keep the racy ads online. If the goal of the campaign is to get people talking, it’s definitely doing just that.
#advertisingfail
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