Is this Calvin Klein’s ‘Bud light moment?’
Ad featuring trans man who’s not had top surgery modelling a bra sparks backlash – as shoppers say it’s a ‘far cry’ from their usual snaps of chiseled models
By Siofra Brennan For Mailonline
Another added: ‘The bra/beard thing has me confused. If he’s trying to be more feminine, why keep the beard or is this transwomen having beards a thing?
‘Is he just gay and wearing a bra because he’s overweight and thinks it’s cute? So many questions. Lol.’
A third wrote: ‘Wow this makes the clothes look ugly. I thought ads worked on making stuff look attractive and aspirational?’
Another commented: ‘Good for them they feel that good about themselves but I don’t believe most people find this physically attractive or want to see it. I sure don’t!
‘No thank Calvin Klein enjoy your time with Bud Light!’
Another wrote: ‘This cannot be legit. Come on. Let me wake up from this nightmare.’
One added: ‘Gross. A far cry from their haute couture ads.’
‘I don’t understand why they want to promote ugly,’ one commented while another wrote: ‘That must appeal to like 10 people.’
‘In their bid to appease a tiny minority, they’re alienating a huge majority!’ another wrote.
However, others defended the advert, with one commenting it was the ‘first time they’d ever felt like a Calvin Klein model.’
Other images from the campaign also show Bappie posing in a pair of boxers and a different bra.
Meanwhile, another snapshot shows the two models featured apparently exchanging a kiss, while Bappie places his hands on the other model’s Calvin Klein briefs.
Bappie shared a post on Instagram last year when the images were first taken, revealing how happy he was to have been featured by the famous brand.
The snapshot went viral online after one Twitter user shared the snap on the social media platform
He wrote: ‘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
‘1.We were both about to enter new chapters in our life. Jamilla and her gastric sleeve and my upcoming top surgery. These are beautiful memories ( and mammories! lol )
‘2. To showcase unapologetic fat love, fat pride, fat cis bodies, fat trans bodies, fat joy.
Social media users were left stunned by the advert, with some questioning it was really a promotional photograph for Calvin Klein
‘3. That all trans bodies are good bodies. The team at CK was so kind to let me wear bralettes and a body suit.
‘I think that it is important to show that trans masc bodies with breasts should be celebrated and that masculinity doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy feminine items.’
He continued: ‘I hope that these pictures inspire you all to be happier and more proud of your bodies, of your queerness, of whatever you are doing right now!’
He finished his post by thanking the brand.
The image went viral weeks after Bud Light went into damage control over a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Mulvaney sparked widespread fury in April with a post of her sitting in a bathtub while swigging from a custom Bud Light can sporting her face.
Bappie shared a post on Instagram last year when the images were first taken, revealing how happy he was to have been featured by the famous brand
Other images from the campaign also show Bappie posing in a pair of boxers and a different bra while apparently exchanging a kiss with another model
She posted under the hashtag #budlightpartner to coincide with the NCAA March Madness tournament, before joking she didn’t know what sport she was promoting.
The disastrous marketing bid has seen sales for the American flagship beer plummet by as much as 20 percent week-on-week.
And there have also been calls to boycott Adidas in a row over its use of a biologically male model to promote a women’s swimsuit in its ‘Pride 2023’ collection.
The sportswear giant provoked fury from fans who accused it of making a ‘mockery’ of women when it unveiled an advert for the £50 swimsuit which forms part of its campaign to ‘uphold inclusive values’.
But disenfranchised fans continued to slam the ‘woke’ firm, with some encouraging customers to ‘burn’ their Adidas Gazelle trainers in protest.
Bappie Kortram said in a statement: ‘I want to start with the fact that I still stand by my original message and the pride that I felt when Calvin Klein invited me to model for their Pride Collection of 2022.
‘For me it is important that trans men get to see diverse representation. Representation that shows more than thin muscular bodies, whose top surgery ( removal of breast ) are nearly perfect.
‘There are trans men who don’t want the surgery, don’t have access to it, or are flat-out denied. Their bodies count too and deserve to be seen in brands, products and commercials that validate their life.
‘Even though I myself have gotten top surgery a month after the shoot, I still look back at this with pride and only focus on the people that felt validated and seen with this shoot. For those who replied with disgust I would say, only a person that loves themselves would be able to celebrate other forms of beauty.’
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