Calvin Klein apologizes after backlash over video of Bella Hadid kissing robot

Calvin Klein apologized on social media Friday after it was criticized for a video advertisement showing model Bella Hadid kissing a female robot named Lil Miquela.
The 30-second video drew backlash because Hadid identifies as heterosexual, with many critics saying LGBT models could have been used for the video.
I am here. That is my truth. #MYTRUTH #MYCALVINS@bellahadid @CalvinKlein pic.twitter.com/gjMyHHXjHB
— Miquela (@lilmiquela) May 16, 2019
The company apologized Friday, saying it welcomes “all types of constructive feedback from our community.”
{mosads}”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,” Calvin Klein said in a statement.
“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 added, “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 appreciate them. We’d like to offer our thoughts in response to comments on our campaign video featuring Bella Hadid and Lil Miquela. pic.twitter.com/OIcIekyR9K
— CALVIN KLEIN (@CalvinKlein) May 17, 2019
A female voice is heard in the video talking about “opening doors.”
“Life is opening doors,” the voice says before Hadid kisses Miquela’s face. “Creating new dreams that you never knew could exist.”
It is unclear if Hadid or Miquela is narrating the video.
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