Calvin Klein Salutes Mothers. Including a Pregnant Man.

OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.

Calvin Klein published an advertising campaign in honor of Mother’s Day in America, which was meant to salute mothers.

The company has faced criticism from the Daily Mail and others who argue the “surreal” ads have “trivialized the trans debate.”

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The new face of Calvin Klein underwear are Roberto Bete, a pregnant trans man, and with Roberto’s partner Erica Feeha, a trans woman.

In the Calvin Klein ad, a heavily pregnant Roberto appears in the brand’s iconic underpants.

The ad contains a quotation that reads: “We can reproduce biologically or from the heart… our role in the world is to love and be loved.”

🚨 POLL: Can men get pregnant?
YES 👍 or NO 👎

Despite identifying as a trans man, Roberto Bete’s birth gender is female and is capable of getting pregnant.

The quotation used by Calvin Klein has stirred significant debate. To start, the heart isn’t a reproductive organ.

People have responded to the ad by noting “the swollen belly and the self-indulgent pose” as well as “how brutal those scars on Roberto’s chest look.”

Here’s a look at this latest “celebration of diversity”:

“Today, in support of women and mothers all over the world, we’re spotlighting the realities of new families,” Calvin Klein wrote to Instagram and Twitter.”

“@erikafeeh and @roberto_bete are expecting parents from Brazil. Roberto is due to give birth to his and Erika’s son Noah any day now,” the post reads.

Apple recently raised eyebrows by adding a pregnant man emoji to their iPhones:

Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine argues the ad “trivializes the trans debate” by writing:

And it is this, I think, that goes to the heart of what worries me most about images like the one of pregnant Bete. They trivialise what is, in reality, a very difficult, complex and painful process. They turn a serious condition that requires careful handling – gender dysphoria – into a fashionable style choice.

Calvin Klein is a major brand, highly prized among teenagers. And if impressionable young minds were to conclude that what is going on in this picture has anything whatsoever to do with fashion, then they would be sorely mistaken.

I may have questions, but of one thing I’m sure. Being transgender is not a bandwagon for people to jump up on to win more sporting competitions or to gain more Instagram followers. And it’s certainly not a vehicle for selling pants.