Calvin Klein Places Billboard Of "Orgy"

Five-Story New York Ad Has "Detrimental Message," Expert Says On "The Early Show"

(CBS)  Designer Calvin Klein is at it again.

He’s put up a billboard in New York City that’s not only being called racy, but has some people blushing.

CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano reported on The Early Show Monday that the new five-story billboard has received some strong reactions from passersby. Some people are taking pictures, while others are simply appalled.

One woman told Solorzano, "It’s an orgy."

The ad shows a topless girl lying on a bare-chested guy while kissing another guy. A third guy is lying on the floor with his jeans unbuttoned.

A teenager said, "I first walked up, and I saw that and I was like, 'That is not very appropriate." '

Dr. Jenn Berman, a family therapist and author of "The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids" expressed similar thoughts on the show Monday, telling co-anchor Julie Chen, "It is beyond inappropriate and over-the-top. It really borders on child pornography. The girl in the ad looks like she’s about 15. It’s not like television, where you can turn off the station where you don’t like what you’re seeing. This is on the street. You can’t protect your children from it or your own eyes from it."

The ad, Solorzano reported, is a throwback to the Calvin Klein ads of the '80s and '90s, when young models and stars such as Brooke Shields and Kate Moss posed for the company.

In 1995, Calvin Klein even pulled a campaign after a public outcry that some of the company’s ads were child porn.

But advertising critic Barbara Lippert says Calvin Klein is trying to stay relevant to a new generation of teenagers, while competing with the likes of American Apparel and Abercrombie and Fitch.

Lippert said, "It's like, every couple of years, sex disappears for about 15 minutes, and then it comes back with a vengeance."

Solorzano said CBS News didn’t receive a statement from Calvin Klein, but Solorzano reported that the company has said it intended to create a sexy campaign that speaks to a targeted audience.

But Berman said, "Apparently their target demographic is teenage girls who like foursomes. That’s a small demographic, if you ask me."

Berman added this ad has a "detrimental message" and should be removed immediately.

"There is a trend of moving from girl power to girl sexual power. That’s a terrible thing for our daughters," she said. "The idea is that we’re telling our daughters where their value is, is in attracting men. ... Some girls will see this and think, 'Well, I have this fantasy of attracting a lot of men. Maybe I’ll try this out." '

"It’s a fine line between a girl’s sexual fantasy and gang rape," Berman said. "I think this points to something like that. Not to mention it trivializing sex. These images are devoid of love."

Berman said there's no monitoring agency for billboard content, but ads like this one are opening doors to create one.