As we have entered the digital age of marketing, clothing giants have taken to social media to spread their message, reaching wider audiences with their messages faster and easier than ever before. Calvin Klein, a fashion brand that has been around since 1968, has been one of the most notable brands to use social media effectively with their “In My Calvins” campaign, which references a young Brooke Shields shoot from 1981 (Fumo). A shift in focus to digital platforms over print platforms also marks the brand’s shift in message, showcasing instagram influencers and celebrity brand ambassadors of diverse bodies in everyday life of social media instead of exclusively svelte supermodels posing in staged studio shoots. Not only has the subject matter of the campaign changed, but the message tied to the phrase “in my Calvins” has adopted individualized activism by leaving the verb of the sentence blank for whomever to fill in with their own socially charged message.
In May of this year, a video of 17 year old singer Billie Eilish was released as her version of the “in my Calvins” ad. In the video and in the photo, Eilish is completely clothed, enveloped by her now signature oversized attire. Though this may seem unusual for a brand known for its intimates, her message is this, “I never want the world to know everything about me. That’s why I wear big, baggy clothes. Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath” (Fredette). With Eilish’s statement, it becomes clear that the message behind Calvin Klein is no longer just about the clothes, but is now about the body and the embodied experience. Not even a legal adult yet, Eilish has been thrust into stardom and fame, a position that comes with constant scrutiny by the public eye. Like Susan Kaiser states, we all must appear, especially in the instantaneous digital age that we currently live in, and Billie Eilish just so happens to appear more than most other teenage girls her age, particularly at a time when she is learning how to feel comfortable in her own skin (Kaiser). Criticized in the past for her style choices, Eilish reveals that the embodied experience is a vulnerable one and that her relationship with clothing is one of shelter and comfort from the public eye. Eilish exerts her own agency by choosing exactly what the public gets to see of her. There is power in what people cannot see and through this ad, Eilish shows to other young girls that do not have to show all of themselves to the world in order to feel beautiful or valid- they can choose for themselves how to present their bodies. In hearing Billie Eilish’s truth, her choice to remain fully clothed no longer seems odd or out of place for the ad campaign, but rather authentic and brave, rebelling against the societal pressure for female bodies to meet standards and reveal themselves of the public gaze.
Bibliography
Kaiser, Susan B. Fashion and Cultural Studies. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018.
Fredette, Meagan. “Billie Eilish Gets Brutally Honest About Her Body & The Male Gaze For Calvin Klein.” Billie Eilish Talks Style Calvin Klein Campaign Ad 2019. Accessed September 24, 2019. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/05/232508/billie-eilish-calvin-klein-i-speak-my-truth.
Fumo, Nicola. “Unpacking Calvin Klein’s Wildly Successful #MyCalvins Campaign.” Racked. Racked, October 15, 2015. https://www.racked.com/2015/10/15/9534325/calvin-klein-mycalvins-justin-bieber-kendall-jenner.
“#MyCalvins Campaign Takes over the Internet.” Truly Deeply – Brand Agency Melbourne, February 3, 2016. https://www.trulydeeply.com.au/2016/02/mycalvins-viral-campaign-advertising-brand/.
KLEIN, CALVIN. “Billie Eilish Speaks Her Truth in #MYCALVINS | CALVIN KLEIN.” YouTube. YouTube, May 10, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeMmUglv6wA.
“Calvin Klein Debuts #MYCALVINS Campaign Starring Noah Centineo, Billie Eilish & More.” Clash Magazine. Accessed September 24, 2019. https://www.clashmusic.com/fashion/calvin-klein-debuts-mycalvins-campaign-starring-noah-centineo-billie-eilish-more.
