Calvin Klein Billboard in SoHo

Calvin Klein Billboard in SoHo (June 15, 2009)

By STEPHANIE BARISH wpix.com

4:32 p.m. EDT, June 15, 2009
SOHO, N.Y. (WPIX)—
A sexually-charged billboard in SoHo depicting a young girl engaging in a threesome is causing quite the stir Downtown, from residents to regular passers-by.

The racy ad for Calvin Klein is prominently displayed on a side of a building at Lafayette and Houston Streets. It shows a young, topless, teen girl lying on top of another bare chested teen while kissing a second male, who is also shirtless - on a sofa. A third male is lying on the floor with his pants and shirt unbuttoned.

"What is wrong with you, when you think that something like this is okay?" passerby Victoria Gomez told PIX News. "That girl looks like she's fourteen!"

While some locals were left dismayed by the raunchy ad, others seemed to be unfazed by it.

"Wow, that's intense," said Rory Saxs, 28, of the West Village. "It is racy, but it's SoHo. What do people expect?"

A Calvin Klein spokesman is downplaying the controversy, saying their "intention was to create a very sexy campaign that speaks to our targeted demographic."

Critics wonder whether the billboard's intention was to simply ruffle some feathers and get people talking, something the fashion giant is infamous for doing with it's suggestive ads.

Back in 1981, Calvin Klein drew ire for its advertisements featuring a then-15-year-old Brooke Shields portrayed in a very sensuous light.

In 1995, the American Family Association, a conservative Christian group, urged the company to pull some of its ads that many likened to child porn. As for the new racy billboard, the group's founder says it shows a lack of respect to society and says it's sad Americans will keep using sex to make money.