Iconic fashion house Calvin Klein — with a reputation for maverick and polished advertising campaigns — has ignited a fresh controversy with its latest ad campaign featuring a pregnant transgender man..Roberto Bete, a trans male in the last stage of pregnancy, and his partner Erica Feeha are photographed for the fashion giant's 2022 Mother's Day ad campaign..The couple was featured in what Calvin Klein said is a campaign that brings attention to the realities of the modern family..Calvin Klein’s Instagram post was inundated with positive comments supporting its stance on inclusivity, which showcases a multitude of photographs of different families, picturing single mothers and interracial partners, among others..In one image caption the couple says, “We can reproduce biologically or from the heart ... our place is to love and be loved.”.Some users applauded Calvin Klein for challenging traditional family stereotypes, other social media users were not supportive of the brand's reinterpretation of the family unit..The brand announced "@erikafeeh and @roberto_bete are expect[ant] parents from Brazil. Roberto is due to give birth to his and Erika’s son Noah any day now.”.One Instagram user said, “Meanwhile your clothing and products are made in countries where people in the LGBTQ community would be punished or killed by the laws they uphold. This is nothing more than virtue signalling and furthering an already horrific divide in our country.”.Twitter user Janet Krayden said, "Killed their brand. So woke they want to go broke."."Two people pretending to be something that they're not is not likely to produce a well-adjusted, socially, mentally and emotionally healthy child," said Francis Roy..Commenting on social media remarks, Calvin Klein said they would not tolerate intolerance..“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.”.The clothing brand has created groundbreaking ad campaigns since the '80s, an early notable campaign being the Brooke Shields jeans ad..Shields' famously said in the campaign, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? — Nothing.” It was argued it was too sexually suggestive and was banned in a number of countries..Since then, Calvin Klein has ruffled feathers with up-skirt photographs in 1995, orgy-style images in 2009, and threesomes and lesbian kissing in 2014..Last month, technology giant Apple rolled out a “pregnant man” emoji and a “pregnant person” emoji, as well as several other “gender neutral” emojis.
