Brooke Shields, a model turned actress who was fresh off starring in The Blue Lagoon, was 15 when she headlined this Calvin Klein Jeans campaign, which was banned by some local TV stations. Retro AdArchives/Alamy Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Decades before Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad campaign sparked online furor, a series of jeans commercials featuring Brooke Shields similarly ignited controversy. In 1980, a 15-year-old Shields starred in a series of print and TV ads for Calvin Klein. One TV spot, in which she delivered the brand's suggestive tagline - "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." - caused outrage given Shields' age, leading some networks to decline to run the ads. The campaign also included a commercial in which Shields used wordplay involving "jeans" and "genes," with Shields stating: "Genes are fundamental in determining the characteristics of an individual and passing on these characteristics to succeeding generations." Related Stories News Lizzo Calls Out Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Jeans Ad in New Song Movies Halsey on Learning From Sydney Sweeney on 'Americana' and Creating Her Own New Series: "Really Cool to Be Part of a Project I Don't Face" This spot returned to the cultural limelight amid backlash surrounding American Eagle's recent campaign titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." In one video promoted by the company, the actress says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue." Critics saw it as nodding to eugenics, the discredited theory embraced by Nazi Germany that claimed humanity could be improved by breeding for specific traits. "It's the same playbook: a very hot model saying provocative things shot in an interesting way," Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce, told AP about the two campaigns. While Sweeney hasn't addressed the backlash, Shields told Vogue in 2021 about her own ads, "I feel like the controversy backfired. The campaign was extremely successful." Retro AdArchives/Alamy This story appeared in the Aug. 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up shopping 'Palm Royale' Costume Designer Alix Friedberg's Debuts a Retro Fashion Capsule for Aspiring Shiny Sheet Stars Taylor Swift Are Hollywood's Style Ambassadors Holding Up Their End on Red Carpets? shopping BaubleBar's Summer Jewelry Sale Has Arrived: Save Up to Half Off Taylor Swift's KC Chiefs Necklace, Chic Disney Earrings and More Wicked: For Good The Latest 'Wicked' Brand Collabs Flying in Ahead of November's 'Wicked: For Good' Release, From Funko Pop! to Legos shopping Solawave's Hollywood-Loved Beauty Tools Have Increased in Price Amid Tariffs - These Deals Let You Save Up to $150 Off Bundles Books Alexis Bledel Narrates 'Tuck Everlasting' Audiobook for 50th Anniversary Edition (Exclusive First Listen) shopping 'Palm Royale' Costume Designer Alix Friedberg's Debuts a Retro Fashion Capsule for Aspiring Shiny Sheet Stars Taylor Swift Are Hollywood's Style Ambassadors Holding Up Their End on Red Carpets? shopping BaubleBar's Summer Jewelry Sale Has Arrived: Save Up to Half Off Taylor Swift's KC Chiefs Necklace, Chic Disney Earrings and More Wicked: For Good The Latest 'Wicked' Brand Collabs Flying in Ahead of November's 'Wicked: For Good' Release, From Funko Pop! to Legos shopping Solawave's Hollywood-Loved Beauty Tools Have Increased in Price Amid Tariffs - These Deals Let You Save Up to $150 Off Bundles Books Alexis Bledel Narrates 'Tuck Everlasting' Audiobook for 50th Anniversary Edition (Exclusive First Listen)