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Police pull risque Abercrombie & Fitch pics in Va.

By The Associated Press
02.04.08

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Police confiscated two display photos of scantily clad men and a woman from an Abercrombie & Fitch store and cited the manager on a misdemeanor obscenity charge, authorities said.

The police issued the summons Feb. 2 after Abercrombie management did not heed warnings to remove the images from the Lynnhaven Mall store after some customers complained, police spokesman Adam Bernstein said.

One photograph showed three shirtless young men, with one man's upper buttocks showing. The other image was of a woman whose breast was mostly exposed, authorities said.

City code makes it a crime to display "obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles," Bernstein said.

Bernstein said police charged the manager because there was no legal way to issue a summons to a corporate entity in such circumstances. If convicted, the manager faces a fine of up to $2,000 and as much as a year in jail.

The manager declined to comment, saying that he was waiting for guidance from corporate officials at the New Albany, Ohio-based retailer. A telephone message left for an Abercrombie spokeswoman Feb. 3 was not returned in time for this story.

Abercrombie & Fitch has earned a reputation for its risque catalogues and promotional photography featuring scantily clothed models. In 2003, the company halted publication of its 7-year-old A&F Quarterly catalog because of complaints about sexually suggestive photographs.

In 2004, it agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of promoting whites over minorities and cultivating a virtually all-white image.


Update
City to drop obscenity case against Abercrombie & Fitch
Virginia Beach, Va., official says it would be difficult to make obscenity charge meet standards under city code. 02.06.08

Related

West Virginia governor dresses down store over T-shirt

Bob Wise sends letter demanding that Abercrombie & Fitch dump shirt that spoofs state with slogan, 'It’s All Relative in West Virginia.' 03.24.04

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