It was 1992. If you walked into a mall or flipped through a magazine, you couldn't escape it. A black-and-white image of a shredded, 21-year-old rapper from Boston named Marky Mark, clutching his crotch while a waif-thin, teenage Kate Moss leaned against him.
The Mark Wahlberg underwear ad didn't just sell boxer briefs. It effectively broke the internet before the internet was a thing.
Honestly, we take for granted how much that single campaign changed the way men dress. Before Calvin Klein put Wahlberg on a billboard in Times Square, underwear was something your mom bought you in a three-pack from Sears. It was functional. It was boring. Suddenly, it was a fashion statement. People started sagging their jeans just to show that white elastic waistband.
But while the world was obsessed with the "Good Vibrations" singer’s physique, the actual story on set was a lot less glossy.
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The Shoot That Sparked a Decades-Long Grudge
The photos were shot by the legendary Herb Ritts. He was known for that high-contrast, Grecian-statue aesthetic. You’d think having two of the biggest rising stars in the world together would be a dream, right?
Kinda the opposite.
Kate Moss was only 17 at the time. She has since been very vocal about how much she hated that shoot. In a 2022 interview on Desert Island Discs, she admitted she felt "objectified, vulnerable, and scared." She actually had a nervous breakdown before the campaign launched.
Wahlberg, on the other hand, was in the height of his Marky Mark persona. He had the entourage. He had the "macho" attitude. Moss described him as being "all about him."
A Rough Start for a Future A-Lister
Wahlberg hasn't exactly hidden from this legacy, but he’s definitely outgrown it. When asked about it in recent years, he’s been somewhat apologetic, or at least self-aware. He told The Guardian in 2020 that he was "probably a little rough around the edges" back then. He wasn’t "worldly."
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Basically, he was a kid from the streets of Dorchester who suddenly became a global sex symbol. That’s a weird transition for anyone.
Why the Mark Wahlberg Underwear Ad Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we’re still talking about some photos from over thirty years ago. It’s because that campaign created the blueprint for every celebrity endorsement we see today.
Think about the Jeremy Allen White ads that went viral recently. Or Justin Bieber’s CK campaigns. They all owe a debt to the Mark Wahlberg underwear ad.
- The "Marky Mark" Effect: It proved that a "bad boy" image could sell luxury goods.
- The Birth of Designer Underwear: It shifted the product from a commodity to a status symbol.
- The Crotch Grab: Yes, it was controversial. Yes, people complained. And yes, it made Calvin Klein millions.
The campaign was also a pivot point for Wahlberg's career. It’s hard to imagine him as the Oscar-nominated actor in The Departed without that initial burst of hyper-fame. It gave him the "face" that Hollywood wanted, even if he had to spend the next decade proving he had the acting chops to match the abs.
The Complicated Legacy of Herb Ritts’ Vision
Herb Ritts was a genius, but the "heroin chic" era that this ad helped usher in hasn't aged perfectly. The contrast between Wahlberg’s hyper-masculinity and Moss’s fragile, "waif" look is striking, but it also reflects a fairly narrow—and arguably unhealthy—beauty standard of the 90s.
Looking back, the power dynamic on set was clearly skewed. You have a 21-year-old guy with a massive ego and a 17-year-old girl who feels like she can't say no. It’s a classic example of how the fashion industry operated before there were more stringent protections for minor models.
Facts vs. Nostalgia
- The Photographer: Herb Ritts (died 2002).
- The Location: A studio in New York.
- The Wardrobe: Mostly just the 100% cotton rib briefs.
- The Outcome: Global sales for Calvin Klein skyrocketed, and "Marky Mark" became a household name.
Interestingly, Wahlberg’s kids apparently find the whole thing hilarious and embarrassing. He’s mentioned in interviews that his daughter has seen the photos and he has some explaining to do. It’s a funny reminder that no matter how cool you are to the world, you’re still just a "cringe" dad to your children.
Moving Beyond the Waistband
If you're looking to understand the impact of the Mark Wahlberg underwear ad on modern marketing, you have to look at the "aspiration" factor.
Calvin Klein didn't just sell underwear; they sold a lifestyle. They sold the idea that if you wore these briefs, you possessed a certain rugged, unapologetic confidence. It was one of the first times a male celebrity was marketed so overtly as a sex object to both men and women.
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What you can take away from this history:
- Context is everything: What looks like a "cool vintage ad" today often had a high personal cost for the people involved (like Kate Moss).
- Branding stays: Even after 30 years of movies and business ventures, Wahlberg is still synonymous with those white briefs.
- The "Successor" Cycle: Mark Wahlberg actually gave his blessing to Jeremy Allen White recently, calling him a "worthy successor." It shows that the brand knows how to keep the lineage alive.
The next time you see a massive celebrity billboard in Times Square, remember the 1992 shoot. It was messy, it was tense, and it was uncomfortable for the models—but it changed the fashion industry forever.
To see how this aesthetic has evolved, you can compare the 1992 Ritts photos with the 2024 Mert Alas shots of Jeremy Allen White; the DNA is identical, but the "macho" energy has shifted toward a more modern, brooding artistry. Understanding this shift helps you spot how brands are trying to manipulate your "cool" meter today.