If Kim Kardashian broke the Internet with that Paper magazine photo shoot, I'd say Justin Bieber recently put a dent in it. After Bieber's Calvin Klein campaign debuted on Tuesday, it caused quite a stir. In the black-and-white photos, Bieber plays the drums shirtless and poses in his Calvins. By the end of the week, there were rumors that Justin Bieber's photos were retouched, including his, uhhh, package. A blog called BreatheHeavy.com reported that Biebz's muscles and bulge were photoshopped to appear larger. They even showed side-by-side photos comparing what was believed to be the original. Well, it turns out they weren't photoshopped after all! The website issued a retraction about Bieber's bulge.
On their website, BreatheHeavy.com wrote:
Team Bieber sent BreatheHeavy a cease and desist letter because of the alleged un-retouched Calvin Klein photo we posted, asking we remove the picture in question as well as provide a retraction.
Because BreatheHeavy is not about making anyone feel bad or intentionally stirring the pot (and are definitely not here for lawsuits), we shall retract the story per request.
Bieber denies the photo is real, and I respect that and will believe him.
Well, then. At least the website cooperated and retracted their original photo, and hey if Bieber's people say that "unretouched" photo is fake, then let's go with that.
Oh, and I forgot. Here's the best part of BreatheHeavy's apology:
We sincerely apologize to Bieber for the hit to his ego and to the millions of tweens on social media we upset: Swag swag swag, on you. Chillin’ by the fire while we eatin’ fondue.
Sure, I hear more than a hint of sarcasm in there, but I thoroughly enjoy that they included the most ridiculous Bieber lyrics of all time. (Seriously, who eats fondue around a fire?!) And unlike when people sometimes half-apologize by saying "sorry not sorry," at least they used the phrase "sincerely." That's gotta count for something, right? They get an A+ for following directions, issuing a retraction, but still highlighting the absurdity of the situation.
As for the underwear company, Calvin Klein says Bieber gave the photo shoot his all. Melisa Goldie, Chief Marketing Officer at Calvin Klein, told Us Weekly,
Justin showed up early every day with amazing energy; he completely trusted us and gave it his all... We are incredibly proud of the final images and how they portray Justin and Lara. This campaign will definitely make history.
It looks like she's right! The shoot already caused quite a ruckus, making it memorable for sure. Unsurprisingly it's barely January, and Bieber already is making plenty of headlines. I can't wait to see what shenanigans he gets into next.
