The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has reversed its decision to ban a Calvin Klein ad featuring British singer FKA twigs, citing “the power of public sentiment”.

The ASA said that after “careful consideration” it had decided that “the image was not sexually explicit and the advert presented FKA twigs as confident and in control and, therefore, she was not objectified”.

The ASA initially said the ad described her as a “typical sex object”.

The poster shows the singer wearing a denim shirt that partially covers her body, exposing part of her breasts and one side of her hip, and is accompanied by the caption “Calvin or nothing.”

The ASA initially described the ad as “irresponsible and likely to cause serious offense” and decided to ban it after two people complained about the image, arguing it inappropriately sexualized her.

“The ad used nudity and centered on FKA twigs’ physical features rather than her clothing to the point of presenting her as a stereotypical sexual object,” the ruling at the time said.

“The composition of the image focuses the viewer’s attention on the model’s body rather than on the clothing advertised,” the ruling continued, noting that the ad first appeared in April 2023 and “may not be repeated in the form complained of Appear”.

The ASA did not ban two posters from the same event featuring model Kendall Jenner, which also prompted complaints for the same reasons. The ASA said the images did not focus on Jenner’s body in a way that portrayed Jenner as a sexual object and the level of nudity was not inappropriate for an underwear ad.

FKA twigs defended the ad and issued a statement on Instagram in response to the ban, saying she “saw a strong, beautiful woman” and did not agree with the ad agency’s “labels that were placed on me.”

The singer also drew attention to “other such events in the past and present”, arguing there was a “double standard” involved.

Jeremy Allen White, best known for his role as chef Carmy on the hit TV series Bears, also appeared in a Calvin Klein ad, topless in boxer shorts. One of the photos showed him pulling down the waistband of his underwear to expose his abdominal muscles.

The ASA said it had received three complaints about Alan White’s campaign but had not yet launched an investigation into the TV and magazine ads.

An ASA spokesman said the decision to review the original ruling “came against a backdrop of strong public sentiment, including the views expressed by FKA twigs”, and was also prompted by “concerns that our reasons for banning the ad were significant defect”.

However, the ASA committee upheld its decision that the images in the ad were “clearly pornographic” and “unsuitable for display in non-target media”. The ban remains in effect, the statement said.

The statement continued: “We wanted to check whether we used inconsistent wording and whether we made the right judgments about objectification in advertising.”

Calvin Klein defended the FKA twigs ads, saying: “These images are not vulgar. They are two confident, powerful women who chose to identify with the Calvin Klein brand. The ads contain progressive and enlightened messages.” They believe that FKA twigs and Jenner’s pose is “natural and neutral.”

They also emphasized that FKA twigs and Jenner collaborated with the company and approved the images, later telling interviewers that “they felt a sense of empowerment and confidence from participating.” Calvin Klein also highlighted the presence of male models in the same campaign.

FKA twigs’ full statement is below: “I don’t see the ‘stereotypical sex object’ label they put on me. I see a beautiful, strong woman of color whose incredible body has overcome more than you can imagine of more pain.

“Given looking back at other events of this nature, both past and present, I can’t help but feel there’s some double standards here. So to be clear…

“I am proud of my physicality and feel that the art I create with containers is in line with women such as Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt and Grace Jones. Standard, they break down barriers to seeming empowered and tap into their unique sexuality. Thanks to CK and [photographers] Mert and Marcus have given me a space to express myself however I want – I will not change my narrative. “

The ASA said the reissued ruling was final.