Grant 1

Bea Grant
Prof. C. Bevill
ENG 1301-21
December 3, 2014
Sex in Advertisement: A Controversy that Pays Off
Looking at the photograph of the fifty-foot tall 2009 billboard for Calvin Klein Jeans in
SoHo, New York, some of the viewers might be turned away in shock on turned on by the
sexuality. The billboard was created by Steven Meisel, a professional photographer that has
directed many CK advertisements. In Meisels staged photo, there is a topless young woman,
lying on top of a young man but kissing another. This advertisement suggests that a threesome or
maybe even a foursome is taking place. Sexy ad and public outrage, resulting in controversy,
specially contrasting with the conservative dressed dark woman that is staring at the billboard,
could be the theme of the photograph. This photo that shows this billboard placed in a busy
street, gives the viewer the sense that such provocative ad in a residential area will cause a big
stir in the community.
The location is busy a street with bus and taxi traffic, and where pedestrians cross the
street, facing the ad. The Houston St. is a well-known corner street with Lafayette St., where
numerous CK provocative billboards have been displayed over the years. This corner is located
in SoHo, an abbreviation for South of Houston St. SoHo is known for the upscale stores and the
many number of artists, tourists and commerce who visit this area daily (Wikipedia), giving the
billboard great exposure. All the people in the billboard are young and beautiful, and with the
billboard placed in a residential area, it targets primarily the young adult.

Grant 2
In this photograph of the billboard, the dark image of a woman, conservatively dressed,
is centered and in the foreground. This image brings attention to this add as the woman seems to
be staring at the billboard while speaking on a cell phone, perhaps calling someone regarding the
shocking picture. Since America is considered a conservative country, and an American flag is
seen on a bus window displaying the peoples patriotic pride, the photograph of the young people
suggestively engaging in sex could shock some Americans. A man casually walks by with his
headphones on, seeming to disregard it all. The man wears comfortable clothing, nothing too
formal or business like. This could indicate that he is a tourist or just passing by, not paying
attention, or the ad does not shock him. This contrast in reactions of the dark woman image and
the casual man walking by, displays the different reactions the ad can cause in that
neighborhood. The whole billboard scenario is in neutral color with the couch. The jeans and
skin color are the most contrast a viewer notices, while everything else outside the billboard
shows a contrast; the bright yellow taxi, a dark image of a woman staring at the billboard, and
the man on the street at the foreground along with the silver bus. This color contrast works to
center your attention in the billboard sexy ad, along with the conservative staring woman in this
busy street.
The billboard ad is very sexually provocative. In the photograph, the way that the young
man is kissing the girl suggests vulgarity and not just a romantic kiss. It seems steamy and edgy
to some. Furthermore, the girl is lying topless on another guy, which can suggest a threesome.
The fourth person, a guy lying on the floor in a sexy pose, can suggest a foursome. The ad has
been called edgy and shocking (James), risqu, steamy and borderline pornographic (Armaghan).
Some people have had a moral issue with this ad; The Rev. Don Wildmon, founder of the
American Family Association, a conservative Christian group, was quoted saying that he was

Grant 3
disappointed with the billboard and that" It shows a lack of respect for our society, especially for
young people." He also stated that all that the advertisement companies care for is money, and
that they immorally use sex to get it. The group started a boycott campaign against the CK
Company trying to remove the ad from the impressionable publics eye (Armaghan). This
controversy and community stir shows that the billboard got people to talk about it, and got more
publicity that way. When asked, a spokesman for Calvin Klein stated that their intention was to
create a very sexy campaign that would attract their intended demographic target, the young
adult (Armaghan), and they seemed to have achieved that, due to the success of the brand.
All this controversy brought more attention to the ad and several news websites covered
the story. Susan James from ABC News said that, And now, once again, the fashion company is
shocking and titillating passersby with a new ad campaign in New York City's Soho
neighborhood, a place where young mothers with strollers mingle with artists and hipsters., this
again brings up the moral issue and the outcry for family values in the neighborhood. Other
websites also comment on the billboard controversy such as, NY Daily news, and the CBS
News.
The Calvin Klein Company has a history of controversy in its advertisements (Edwards).
Here in the USA, there was an ad with Brooke Shields, just 15 years old at the time in 1980,
where she stated; "Do you know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing. This ad
caused a lot of complaints about her age and the exposure she was getting (Armaghan). Most of
Calvin Kleins ads suggest that the ad campaign is really about causing controversy. Controversy
seems to generate free advertising; when all the media and audience start talking about the
subject. The risk of controversy seems to pay off, and because of, or despite of the controversy,
provocative ads continue.

Grant 4
The advertisement on this SoHo billboard was so successful that many others have
followed at the same location, and as provocative. It seems that no matter how people react,
whether they are disgusted by it or in love with it, the use of sexy images in the Calvin Klein
advertisements works. Controversy leads to people talking, that leads to the media exploiting the
issue for its own gain giving more exposure to the ad, which leads to free advertisement and
more sales. The brand has been successful for many years in the United States, proving once
more that the controversial tactic works.

Grant 5
Works Cited
Armaghan, Sarah. Calvin Klein 'threesome' billboard in SoHo too sexy, say some. NY Daily
News, 15 June 2009. NY Daily News.com 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Chacko, Rebecca. The Mystery of Sex in Advertising. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc, 2009.
Mhlearningsolutions.com. nd. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
Edwards, Jim. Calvin Klein banned orgy ad is part of predictable fake controversy trend. CBS
News. cbsnews.com, 29 Jan. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Hondros, Chris. Calvin Klein Billboard in Manhattans SoHo. Getty Images News. 17 June
2009. Web. 13 Aug. 2013.
James, Susan Donaldson. Calvin Klein Ad Taps Foursome Sex. ABC news Internet Ventures
2014. Abc.go.com, 17 June 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
SoHo, Manhattan.Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Nov. 2014. Web 15 Nov. 2014.