A Calvin Klein’s Mother’s Day advertisement featuring photos of a group of mothers provoked an uproar and the ad went viral due to one particular pregnancy. Calvin Klein, known for its daring advertising, included a picture of a pregnant (apparently transgender) man in its ad.
Roberto Bete, a Brazilian reality star, and his partner Erica Feeha were part of an ad campaign that focused on the “evolution” of motherhood.
Many took to the comment sections on social media, saying they opposed Calvin Klein’s use of the couple in the advertisement, writing, “blocked,” “cancel,” and “no longer purchasing this brand.”
After the post’s comment section became inundated with opposition, the brand spoke out in support of its original stance, writing, “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.”
Outkick.com writer Alejandro Avila refrained from commenting on the post, instead penning his views of the subject in an article.
“Social media was quick to point out that Klein’s posturing new poster was catering to a rare few, meaning it was probably made for brownie points with the woke mob,” he wrote.
Comedian Steven Crowder used the ad to make light of the current baby formula shortage, tweeting, “We have a huge baby formula shortage! The Left says men are the root of all problems, so it’s only fair to blame pregnant men, right? I wonder what Calvin Klein has to say about this.”
On May 13, Bete on Instagram posted a picture of him holding his newborn son Noah.