International Law

Yesterday I blogged about the FCC's decision that Charlotte Ross's buttocks were both shocking and titillating (see here), and now today it is the appropriateness of some suggestive advertising from Abercrombie & Fitch that is causing controversy.  From the Wall Street Journal Law Blog:

Abercrombie & Fitch, the 115-year-old clothing company that?s gained notoriety for its risque advertisements showcasing scantily-clad youngsters, has run up against more, um, image problems.

On Saturday, police in Virginia carted away two promotional photographs from the A&F store in Virginia Beach?s Lynnhaven Mall ... Under a local ordinance making it a crime to display ?obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles,? the store?s manager, who police say had failed to heed warnings to remove the photographs, was issued a citation. If convicted, the manager reportedly faces a fine of up to $2,000 and as much as a year in jail. Here are stories from the AP and the Virginian-Pilot.

One of the photos features three shirtless young men viewed from the back, walking through a field. The man in the lead appears to pulling up his jeans, which have slipped down enough to reveal his upper buttocks. (The image can be found on A&F?s website.) The other image is of a topless woman whose ?breast is displayed with her hand covering just the nipple portion,? said the spokesman for the police department. ?You could still pretty much see the rest of the breast.?

In a statement, A&F spokesman Tom Lennox said: ?The marketing images in question show less skin than you see any summer day at the beach. And certainly less than the plumber working on your kitchen sink. This is an incredible over-reaction. . . . We will pursue our legal rights aggressively and fully expect to prevail.?

Read more here.  That displaying the these ads could constitute a criminal offence is simply ridiculous ...