Calvin Klein faces backlash over 2022 ad featuring bearded man in bra.

Calvin Klein’s Pride Campaign Sparks Online Backlash

Calvin Klein, known for its racy ads, faced criticism online after a photo from its Pride 2022 Campaign featuring a man wearing a bra was posted. The photo showed Bappie Kortram, a trans man from the Netherlands, wearing jeans and a sports bra. British agency Zebedee Talent, which represents Bappie, described him as “a trans man who has not had top surgery yet.”

Calvin Klein wants to go broke. pic.twitter.com/6pOBKKNMx3

— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) May 23, 2023

Social media users criticized the campaign, with one saying, “What a great way to ‘Bud Light’ themselves.” Another commented, “In a bid to appease a very tiny minority, the west is carefully alienating the HUGE majority.”

When the photos were first posted, Bappie wrote on Instagram, “There aren’t enough words in any language to describe how much I love Jamilla and how much this shoot means for us both. The fact that we were selected for the pride collection of Calvin Klein makes us proud on many intersecting levels.”

Controversial Ads

This is not the first time Calvin Klein has faced backlash for its ad campaigns. In May 2022, the company ran an ad campaign for Mother’s Day featuring a pregnant woman who identified as a man. The photo was accompanied by a quote from the company which stated, “Today, in support of women and mothers all over the world, we’re spotlighting the realities of new families.”

After receiving criticism on social media, the company responded, “We embrace this platform as an inclusive and respectful environment for individualism and self-expression. At Calvin Klein, we tolerate everything except intolerance— any intolerant commentary will be removed, and any accounts issuing hateful statements may be blocked.”