Calvin Klein's controversial 'rape' ad
Has the fashion label's marketing department gone too far ... yet again?
![The Australian government ordered Calvin Klein to remove the billboards after women's groups complained.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8nRBJ3uk9jcQCAUzT9X8zU-415-80.jpg)
The image: Calvin Klein ads and controversy go together like jeans and T-shirts, and the company's latest act of indiscretion, plastered on billboards throughout Sydney and Melbourne, drew dozens of complaints for its alleged depiction of sexual assault. (See image below.) Supermodel Lara Stone was shown wearing mere scraps of clothing, as three pencil-thin men — incidentally clad in jeans — appear to rough her up and pull her hair.
The reaction: Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau has ordered that the billboards be taken down, concluding that the image demeans women by "suggesting that [Stone] is a plaything of these men." ("Yeah, well, so is the fashion industry," quips Gawker's Hamilton Nolan.) When I look at this image, says Lauren Rosewarne at the Australian Broadcasting blog Unleashed, "I see stock standard fashion photography. Rape? Violence? No. No matter how hard I squint my eyes." To view it in that light "presupposes consent is absent." See the full image for yourself:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Hamas and Fatah sign unity agreement in Beijing
Speed Read China brokered a reconciliation deal between the rival Palestinian factions
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The Earth just saw its hottest day on record
Speed Read July 21, 2024 was the hottest day in recorded global history
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bob Menendez to resign after corruption conviction
Speed Read The New Jersey senator submitted to resignation pressure following charges of federal bribery and corruption
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published