Calvin Klein features pregnant trans man in latest ad
16 May 2022, 17:32
Calvin Klein come under fire for “queerbaiting” in controversial new Bella Hadid advert
"We can reproduce biologically or from the heart… our place is to love and be loved."
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Calvin Klein have used a pregnant transgender man in their latest ad campaign.
May 8 marked Mother's Day in the US and to celebrate, Calvin Klein released a campaign on their Instagram that featured three different families "in support of women and mothers all over the world".
One of those families is Roberto Betes and Erika Fernandes from Brazil. At the time of the campaign shoot, Roberto, who was assigned female at birth, was expecting a baby boy. According to his Instagram, Roberto welcomed his son Noah on May 10.
In the images, Roberto and Erika are laying in bed together in their Calvin Klein underwear. In one photo, Roberto has a loving hand on his baby bump, and in another a quote on the image reads: "We can reproduce biologically or from the heart… our place is to love and be loved."
READ MORE: Calvin Klein is being accused of "queerbaiting" in new ad featuring Bella Hadid and Lil Miquela
The post was captioned: "Today, in support of women and mothers all over the world, we’re spotlighting the realities of new families. @k.vventzel is a South African painter and mother to Wild. @erikafeeh and @roberto_bete are expecting parents from Brazil. Roberto is due to give birth to his and Erika’s son Noah any day now. @venedaacarter is a prominent fashion consultant. Her family is Bobbi and Weston."
Sadly, the post received a lot of hateful and transphobic comments from people declaring that they would never shop with Calvin Klein again.
But there were a few positive comments too. One person tweeted: "I'm astonished at the hateful comments directed at Calvin Klein, simply for acknowledging that men do get pregnant and including a pregnant man in their ad campaign. Grow up, move on, follow the science ffs."
In the comment section, Calvin Klein released a statement that read: "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.
"We look forward to continuing a positive and inclusive dialogue in partnership with our community."