FKA Twigs appeared in a Calvin Klein ad in the Spring of 2023, where the singer posed half nude. Now, nearly a year later, it was recently banned in the UK for portraying her as a “sterotypical sexual object,” according to the UK Advertising Standards Authority.
Now, Twigs herself has responded to the ban on Instagram.
“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.”
“in light of reviewing other campaigns past and current of this nature, I can’t help but feel there are some double standards here,” she added. “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. thank you to ck and mert and marcus who gave me a space to express myself exactly how i wanted to – i will not have my narrative changed.”
Calvin Klein has also provided a statement on the matter, pointing out that “the ads were similar to ads they had been publishing in the UK for many years,” according to People.
Check out Twigs’ Instagram response below.