Calvin Klein’s new up-skirt ad is triggering outrage, but it’s hardly surprising

Calvin Klein’s underwear ads have always been notoriously risqué: Consider Kate Moss’ topless pose in 1992, when she was 17. Or the 1985 ad featuring a half-nude woman sandwiched between two strapping young men on a bed. Or the 2010 image with five partially-clothed models piled on a couch in particularly suggestive poses.

The brand’s decidedly NSFW spring ad campaign - wherein models personalise the tagline “I _____ in my calvins” - is no exception. But one image in particular has caused a bit of a social media uproar.

The ad features Klara Kristin, shot from below - way below. We see her tousled blonde head staring down at us, but mostly we see her legs and the crotch of her blue-and-white dotted panties. The Danish actress is 23, though some critics insist she appearsyounger in the photo, which may be why the brazen up-skirt angle shocked so many people.

“NOT OK,” wrote one woman on Instagram.

“This is depraved,” wrote another.

“I guarantee this shot will be downloaded on every Pervert’s computer,” added another, insisting that Calvin Klein is “making the world a (less) safe place for our daughters, sisters & wives.”

Others just shrugged, pointing to Calvin Klein’s long history of pushing boundaries and cultivating controversy, an approach that has come to define its brand.