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Bella Hadid Got Weirdly Intimate With Virtual 'Robot' Lil Miquela In Calvin Klein's New Campaign
Calvin Klein left the internet in a tizzy after featuring Shawn Mendes hypnotizing users with those doe-like eyes and flaunting his finely chiseled physique.
Oh, and the iconic CK skivvies were coo too, bro.
Now, the fashion house is arresting social media users with a bizzare campaign in which American runway star Bella Hadid gets intimate with Lil Miquela.
Who?
You know, Lil Miquela, the a 19-year-old robot, that's who.
Lil Miquela, a virtual female, uploaded the sponsored ad on Instagram in which she locked lips with Hadid, who identifies as heterosexual.
In the video, an unidentified voice-over is heard, saying, "Life is opening doors. Creating new dreams that you never knew could exist."
The robot captioned her post with:
"I am here. That is my truth."
The sapphic kiss left LGBTQ women disconcerted over the Hadid's sexual identity and wondered if the ad was a subtle outing of the 22-year-old model.
who is gonna tell Calvin Klein you're supposed to wait until June for your tone-deaf queer-bait ad campaigns!! lil… https://t.co/XrOpzEx4ec— Madison Malone Kircher (@Madison Malone Kircher)1558039397.0
We should be able to choose who we love.
Yet, here we are short-circuiting over this unique pairing.
@4evrmalone 😕 it’s a creative ad. So if it was a real girl it would be ok? I’m confused— JOSHUA CRAIG (@JOSHUA CRAIG)1558173490.0
Some perceived the ad campaign as going too far with one critic lamenting:
"There are plenty of real LGBTQ Models that could have been used."
@thehill Robophobia— Techni Myoko🎀 (@Techni Myoko🎀)1558276358.0
Others saw no issue with the unconventional love affair.
@4evrmalone So you exclude homosexuals from your ads and you’re homophobic. You include homosexuals and you’re que… https://t.co/lC54TMwVQ8— jimmyk81 (@jimmyk81)1558176845.0
@hills02 @CalvinKlein Technically speaking, kissing a robot is a pan-sexual act. No alphabet soup required. #anyexcuseforoutrage— ThatGuy (@ThatGuy)1558195802.0
@CalvinKlein It’s a clothing add! Enough, get over yourselves— Mex180 (@Mex180)1558183640.0
@hills02 @CalvinKlein You don't know if the robot in the ad identifies as Mrs, or Mr. Roboto.— 🦖 (@🦖)1558226369.0
@USATODAY So then a real LGBTQ actor cannot play a hetero person? Is this where we're going people?— Max (@Max)1558190988.0
By Friday, Calvin Klein issued a statement offering their thoughts in response to the online backlash.
"The concept for our latest #MYCALVINS campaign is to promote freedom of expression for a wide range of identities, including a spectrum of gender and sexual identities."
"This specific campaign was created to challenge conventional norms and stereotypes in advertising. In this particular video, we explored the blurred lines between reality and imagination."
The company acknowledged how Hadid's kiss with Lil Miquela was seen as "queer-baiting" and expressed regret, though that was not their intention.
"We understand and acknowledge how featuring someone who identifies as heterosexual in a same-sex kiss could be perceived as queer-baiting. As a company with a longstanding tradition of advocating for LGTBQ+ rights, it was certainly not our intention to misrepresent the LGTBQ+ community. We sincerely regret any offense we caused."
Here at CALVIN KLEIN, we welcome all types of constructive feedback from our community. We see your comments and we… https://t.co/nL4NUYaO9Y— CALVIN KLEIN (@CALVIN KLEIN)1558133776.0
Not everyone was buying.
@CalvinKlein Are f’n kidding me . First any straight person can kiss a gay person . Don’t put me in a box . Bisexua… https://t.co/eBaGFwmFjW— mike hunt (@mike hunt)1558186066.0
@CalvinKlein WTF?!?!?!? Seriously!!!!! No one in your company raised concerns about this?!?!?! NO ONE?!?!? Either y… https://t.co/NCWAle5ACD— Glitterelf (@Glitterelf)1558154621.0
But thanks to Calvin Klein, robots now have an ally.
@hills02 @CalvinKlein Progress.... Robots 🙄— Only 1 🇺🇸 for This Great Country (@Only 1 🇺🇸 for This Great Country)1558276466.0
Does it not compute?