Calvin Klein’s 2016 global advertising campaign has recently been released, and is causing controversy inside and outside of the fashion sphere. The photograph shot by Harley Weir, captioned ‘I flash in #mycalvins’, shows an up skirt photo of model, Klara Kristin‘s dress along with other sexualised photographs.
The provocative campaign has received much attention for it’s sexual nature and criticised for glamorising and normalising sexual harassment of women. The organisation, the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) has requested Calvin Klein to remove the photograph on these grounds.
Executive Director of NCOSE, Dawn Hawkins said in a statement:
“Once again, Calvin Klein has used a depiction of sexual harassment or assault in its advertisements. The American fashion house has continued to stand by its most recent ad campaign, not-so-subtly entitled Erotica [Ed note: According to a spokesperson for Calvin Klein, there is no official “name” for this campaign], despite the backlash over its glamorized depiction of an “up-skirting” victim.
Up-skirting is a growing trend of sexual harassment where pictures are taken up a woman’s skirt without her knowledge, or without her consent. Not only is this activity a crime in many states like New York, Washington, Florida, and more, but it is also a disturbing breach of privacy and public trust.
By normalizing and glamorizing this sexual harassment, Calvin Klein is sending a message that the experiences of real-life victims don’t matter, and that it is okay for men to treat the woman standing next to them on the metro as available pornography whenever they so choose. We are calling on Calvin Klein to not only remove this offensive ad, but also to suspend its Erotica advertisement campaign, and to issue an apology to victims of sexual harassment or assault everywhere”.
#Peace.Love.CalvinKlein
