Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein sultry ad hilariously gets the RNIB alt text treatment so blind people can enjoy
Now this is what we like to call blind ambition.
“The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White bared it all this month for his racy and utterly titillating Calvin Klein underwear campaign and the internet collectively swooned over the 32-year-old heartthrob’s rippling pectorals.
Unfortunately, individuals who are visually impaired have been unable to properly appreciate all that White has to offer in his tighty whities until now.
Thanks to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), blind and partially sighted people have the opportunity to enjoy White’s ‘thirst trap’ too.
RNIB created alt text, which accompanies images online and on social media platforms to help describe content and the content of images for those who may be unable to see them, for two of White’s sexiest photos, which were shot in New York City.
“We’ve written image descriptions to help blind and partially sighted people decide which thirst trap is their favorite,” @RNIB wrote on X this week, along with two photos of the actor who won his second Golden Globe, for best performance by a male actor in a television series — musical or comedy, on Sunday. “See the alt text for more and tell us – which one do you choose?”
The alt text for the first photo reads, “A film photo of Jeremy Allen White standing in front of a red sofa on a rooftop in New York City, wearing only white Calvin Klein briefs. His curly hair and lean, toned physique is silhouetted against the pale evening sky. He stands with his arms by his side, smiling off-camera.”
The second photo is described as “A film photo of Jeremy Allen White standing behind scaffolding on a rooftop in New York city, wearing only white Calvin Klein boxers. His curly hair, blowing in the wind, and his toned, lean physique are lit up by the sun of golden hour. He has one hand on a rung of scaffolding at shoulder height and the other on a rung above his head, as if he’s about to climb. There’s a look of intense concentration on his face.”
Users flocked to the comment section of the ad to express their appreciation for the in-depth alt text.
“This is brilliant,” one user wrote. “It’s made me realize I am nowhere near as descriptive as I should be when writing ALT text for my company’s campaigns. (I choose #2).”
“This is representation and accessibility at its best,” another user commented.
“I absolutely hate when I see alt text that’s been used to just make a random joke or just repeats the text of the tweet,” said another.
“This is great! I love a great ALT text. And my favourite is version 2,” a fourth user commented.
Helen Dutson, RNIB’s Social Media Content Manager, explained why organizations should pay more attention to their alt text.
“Big brands like Calvin Klein failing to provide alt text on their social media posts is, frankly, pants,” she told the Daily Mail. “Many blind and partially sighted people listen to digital content with assistive technology which reads alt text aloud to make it accessible to them.”
“This means that when organizations and public figures don’t describe their images, there’s a huge group of people who just hear the word ‘image,'” she said. “By adding alt text, you can ensure everyone knows what you’re saying on social media, and everyone feels included in and part of the conversation.”
