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Love Quote by Calvin Klein

"I love women. I'm trying to do beautiful things with them. I'm not trying to insult them. My life is not about that"

About this Quote

A defensive love letter dressed up as a disclaimer, Calvin Klein’s line reads like crisis control from a man whose brand made its fortune flirting with the edge of propriety. “I love women” isn’t romance here; it’s a preemptive credential. He’s staking moral authority before the accusation lands: that the images, clothes, and campaigns bearing his name don’t just sell desire, they shape it, often through a male gaze that can feel less “beautiful” than transactional.

The phrasing matters. “Trying” does quiet work, softening responsibility. It suggests intention without promising outcomes, a useful posture when the work is inevitably interpreted by audiences, critics, and an advertising ecosystem built on provocation. “Beautiful things with them” is also telling: it frames women as collaborators, muses, even co-authors. Yet the vagueness keeps power safely offstage. With them how? Under whose direction? Beauty can be partnership, but it can also be packaging.

Then he pivots to harm: “I’m not trying to insult them.” Not trying is the language of someone who knows impact can outpace intent, especially in fashion where sexuality is both aesthetic and commodity. The final line, “My life is not about that,” widens the plea from a single campaign to a whole identity. It’s less an argument than an appeal: judge the artist’s character, not just the imagery.

In the context of Klein’s minimalist, body-forward empire and the periodic moral panics around his ads, this quote functions as a shield. It’s a claim that eroticism can be artistry, not degradation - and a reminder that the boundary between the two is drawn by culture, not the designer alone.

Quote Details

TopicLove
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Klein, Calvin. (2026, January 17). I love women. I'm trying to do beautiful things with them. I'm not trying to insult them. My life is not about that. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-love-women-im-trying-to-do-beautiful-things-24408/

Chicago Style
Klein, Calvin. "I love women. I'm trying to do beautiful things with them. I'm not trying to insult them. My life is not about that." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-love-women-im-trying-to-do-beautiful-things-24408/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I love women. I'm trying to do beautiful things with them. I'm not trying to insult them. My life is not about that." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-love-women-im-trying-to-do-beautiful-things-24408/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.

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I love women I am trying to do beautiful things with them Calvin Klein
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About the Author

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein (born November 19, 1942) is a Designer from USA.

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