Sexy or sick? Australia says Calvin Klein ad promotes 'rape'

Once again, designer Calvin Klein is mired in controversy for his provocative ads.

His latest ad for Calvin Klein jeans has been banned in Australia after the continent’s Advertising Standards Bureau ruled that it was 'suggestive of violence and rape'.

Lara Stone, the gap-toothed face of the brand is seen lying on her back on the lap of one shirtless male model who is holding her hair. Another shirtless model is hovering above her, his hand beneath her.

They seem to be in a public park in an urban space since the models are up against a chain-link fence.

The ad was part of a series but it was this particular billboard shot that caused the outcry from activists who said the photo was using images of gang rape to sell clothing.

The government ordered the ads be taken down.

"The Board considered that whilst the act depicted could be consensual, the overall impact and most likely impression is that the scene is suggestive of violence and rape,” said a spokesman.

"We considered that the image was demeaning to women by suggesting that she is a plaything of these men."

Risque ads that push the envelope is nothing new to the designer and his brand.

In New York City in 2008, Soho residents protested a giant billboard that showed actress Eva Mendez in a scantily clad embrace with two men.

In 1996, critics, including President Clinton cried pedophilia over his campaign featuring young, scantily clad models in what appeared to the basement of a rec-room being spoken to by a man off-camera. The TV ads were run in New York only before they were withdrawn.

nydailynews.com