Abercrombie & Fitch in Trouble Again With Obscenity Laws with Ads

Its like Ground Hog Day, if its a new Abercrombie & Fitch ad campaign, then it must also be cutting edge ad bordering on obscenity. Once again A&F has produced ads that have caught the ire of the public and in this case, a cities obscenity laws. However, I must say I have seen much worse in the past from Abercrombie & Fitch. Picture in question available here.

The citation was issued under City Code Section 22.31, Bernstein said, which makes it a crime to display “obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles.” He did not say what was being done with the pictures and when the manager, whose name was not released, is scheduled to appear in court.

Its an age old battle,  one person’s obscenity is another person’s art. In today’s market of sexually explicit ads, that line has never been crossed and issue discussed more often.

Police confiscated two billboard advertisements from the Abercrombie & Fitch store at the Lynnhaven Mall Saturday afternoon, saying they were in violation of city obscenity laws.

The store’s manager was also issued a criminal citation on obscenity charges.

The black and white ads depicted models in a partially nude state.

One shows a group of shirtless male models, one of them with his jeans low enough to show a part of his buttocks.

Police say they received several complaints about the ads and had met with local store officials, in which police informed them they were in violation of the code. (WVEC)

Abercrombie & Fitch are no strangers to ad controversy. They have been pushing the envelop for years and in many cases went over the edge.

• In 2003, the clothing chain pulled its Christmas catalog, which featured nude models, after receiving boycott threats from a parents’ group.
• In 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch pulled a line of thongs from its shelves that were aimed at girls age 10 and under.