A Look into Calvin Kleins Advertisements As a seductive young man looks into a camera a raspy voice, off camera, whispers, You got a real nice look. How old are you? Are you strong? You think you could rip that shirt off? Thats a real nice body. You work out? I can tell. No, its not straight out of a steamy romance novel, though it could be. This is just one example of how provocative Calvin Kleins advertisements have been. Although the ads boosted sales for the Calvin Klein empire, it angered many parents, religious groups, and even the media over its message, its image, and its legality. There is no doubt the ads are in bad taste, but in advertising today, sex sells. Advertising is all based on the way a particular individual perceives it. Flipping through any teen magazine, you will most likely come across a Calvin Klein advertisement that portrays his models as runway teenage junkies, young anorexic girls or even children clad in revealing clothing. In 1980, a Calvin Klein ad featured a 15-year-old Brooke Shields, who said that there was nothing between her and her Calvins. And who can forget the posters of Marky Mark grabbing himself in his cotton briefs, or the anorexic-looking Kate Moss that went topless in an ad. Patrick Carroll, President and General Manager of Calvin Klein Cosmetics Canada said, All advertising, for fragrances, jeans and underwear, share a similar look that combines creative minds, beautiful faces, buffed bodies, great sound tracks, and imaginative copy that creates advertising that stirs, awakens and often causes controversy. And that their advertising explodes on the media scene.Calvin Klein eventually dropped the $6 million dollar campaign after the advertisements were accused of violating child pornography laws. On September 8 the Justice Department began looking into claims that the ads used young models posed in a provocative manner. A Calvin Klein spokeswoman stated that only one of ...
