VIRGINIA BEACH
Police, saying they were responding to citizen complaints, carted away two large promotional photographs from the Abercrombie & Fitch store in Lynnhaven Mall on Saturday and cited the manager on obscenity charges.
Adam Bernstein, a police spokesman, said the seizure and the issuance of the summons came only after store management had not heeded warnings to remove the images.
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.
The manager, reached by telephone, declined to comment on the incident Saturday, saying that he was conferring with and waiting for guidance from Abercrombie corporate officials.
The mural-like black-and-white photographs were taken from the store at midafternoon.
Bernstein confirmed that one depicts three shirtless young men from the back, walking through a field. The man in the lead appears to be about to pull up his jeans, which have slipped down enough to reveal his upper buttocks.
The same image is displayed on the Abercrombie Web site.
The other image is of a woman who is topless and whose "breast is displayed with her hand covering just the nipple portion," Bernstein said. "You could still pretty much see the rest of the breast."
The seizure was "prompted by several customer complaints, and the management of Abercrombie & Fitch was notified of those complaints," Bernstein said.
The company's corporate offices in New Albany, Ohio, were closed Saturday and no officials could be reached for comment.
Bernstein said the summons for a Class One misdemeanor was issued to the manager because there is no legal way to issue a summons to a corporate entity in such circumstances. The manager was not arrested but faces a fine of up to $2,000 and as much as a year in jail, if convicted.
Bernstein said that in a meeting last week with store management, the officer - who is assigned to routine patrol of the mall - said he understood it was a corporate decision as to what would be displayed in the stores. But he explained that that didn't exempt the local store from complying with the city code.
Bernstein said management was told specifically: "We want those advertising signs taken down."
When the officer returned to the store Saturday, Bernstein said, he found that the pictures were still in place.
Abercrombie & Fitch has earned a reputation for its risqué 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 by award-winning photographer Bruce Weber.
Steve Stone, (757) 446-2309, steve.stone@pilotonline.com
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I agree with slim
Abercrombie & Fitch feels as if they need sex to sell everything manufactured by its company; which really sucks for them. If their only angle is sex then they need a new approach. I think it’s time for a change.
Virgina Beach Police were correct.
Why must we use sex to sell or advertise everything? Are American advertisements just based on sex? Abercrombie & Fitch seems to be very sexual when it comes to commercials and adverts. I think that they are exploiting women. In order to sell a product a woman’s breast does not have to be exposed or plastered every where. Also the general audience may not appeal to that advert or may not even want to look at it, For instance, their ad that shows crack of those male models running through the field. I personally would not want to see that when flipping through a magazine or catalogue. The seizure of those photos was the right thing. The store did not want to follow the City Code so they were persecuted. If one is going to do something ignorant the individual must be ready to suffer the effects of their action.
Disney
Hello ....City Council why waste $74'000 of our tax dollars hiring a consulting firm to attract new business to Va.Beach then raid there stores and file criminal charges against the store manager. I don't even want to know what that fiasco cost us...remember us the ones who pay taxes....
If we were so offended they would not be in business here....Duh.... Please stop wasting ARE money...
Va.Beach is against anything young or progressive....You chase it away with police intimidation. The number of police makes me feel like I'm in a war zone...
Why waste are money trying to attract families to the resort strip with classical music and puppet shows.....Kids want to see surfing, skating Rock Band, Have you ever heard of Hanna Montana??? Please Council Get out of the 50's.
The Disney cruise I went on was more risqué than anything I've ever seen in Va.Beach.... Can you get anymore family oriented than Disney????
I agree with Nancy, there is
I agree with Nancy, there is no way this case can pass as part of the 1st amendment for the freedom of speech. There is a certain limit on how far the amendment will go and abusing it is plainly a sign to push it as far as they can. It is the court's duty to stop this conspiracy of getting passed the law.
It is pure obscenity. Is it
It is pure obscenity. Is it really necessary to have sexually explicit photos as a way to advertise? There are plenty of other ways to advertise, but A & F knows that the best way to advertise is through the obscene pictures such as the one posted on their website. It clearly shows that the A & F Co. doesn't care about what the law says and that they will do whatever it takes to sell their product. There are many incidents where companies think they are above the law when they're not and something should be done to let them know that they're not above the law.
In my opinion, it is the A &
In my opinion, it is the A & F Co.'s fault in releasing those photos in the first place. Instead of only convicting the manager, the police should convict the whole Co. If the manager didn't get those photos because they weren't made, then he wouldn't be in the mess that he's in now. He also played a part in not taking the advertisements down, when asked to. That's just plain dumb. Is it only occurring in Virginia cause I haven't heard of any other managers being arrested for it. Which plainly proves the manager wanted to leave it up there.
Not risque, vulgar.
I don't think the ads are even the slightest bit risque, what they are is unbelievably vulgar and base. Do you want to live in a town where a few morons put up bilboards of buttocks in everybody's faces?
Add pictures taken at Beach
Surfing brothers ride wave into national ad campaign
Posted to: Community News
© December 1, 2006
Brothers Macon and Bryce Humphrey caught photographer Bruce Weber's eye when he was in town recently shooting the spring ad campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Co. (Laine M. Rutherford)
By Laine M. Rutherford
Correspondent
VIRGINIA BEACH - Macon and Bryce Humphrey hadn't thought about careers as they sat on the beach near the Rudee Inlet jetty earlier this fall.
All they were doing was killing time before they were called to compete in the final heats of Neptune's Surf Classic - the competition held each year as part of the Neptune Festival.
But a photographer's scout with an eye for good-looking athletic types spotted the brothers and approached them with an offer to meet with famed photographer Bruce Weber.
"At first they said, 'We'll call you,' and they did, but then they had us meet with Bruce and his people and asked us to come back Wednesday to be in a photo shoot," Macon Humphrey, 19, said.
Weber, one of the world's most sought after fashion photographers, was in town the first two weeks of October shooting the spring advertising campaign
Call (or rather, email) the police
Whether you think it's idiotic (and it is!) or not, contact the perpetrators of the Virginia Beach Morality Squad to let them know what you think:
vbpd@vbgov.com
Venting at online forums may be fun for some, but it's also all but useless in terms of actually changing the way things work (or don't work).
get those criminals
Go get those criminals but ignore the criminals in Washington that carried out 9/11. I feel safe now.
previous poster
obviously didnt read the article, the officer in question was WORKING in the Mall. The police dept didnt send someone fresh off the street stopping crime to deal with this.
Latest News at 5PM
Charges dropped by VBPD. HURRAY!
Alot more than just young black men
It is racist when you say that most young black men wear their pants like this because it isn't just black men it's a fad that is horribly outdated and all races are guilty of it, especially young white men as you see in the ad or any street or school or public place.
To Stan
"So, join me Va Beach residents, let's demand they start citing everything offensive, not just focusing on a great store that makes great products that happens to advertise to a slightly more sophisticated crowd. I guess Abercrombie will now go the way of "Fubu" and "CitiTrends" stores and only show men with gold teeth, jerseys and baggy pants."
(In Stewie Griffin's voice) Hey there buddy. Your comments were...how can I say this... a little culturally insensitive there don't you think? Sophisticated crowd? So consumers who support Fubu ( a brand) or shop at CitiTrends can't be sophisticated? Is that what you're implying there buddy?
BTW
Since 1 of the pictures was in print for all people who get the newspaper, when does the General Manager of the Virginian Pilot get arrested???
We are now National -
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327975,00.html
Watch out Pilot...
...you posted one of the pictures!
I cannot believe the lunacy of one [or a few] individual and the "morality" of one cope got this ball rolling. I'm sure the Virginia Beach DA is really enjoying this one.....
The Taliban is alive and
The Taliban is alive and well in VB. Where's your Bhurka?
A & F
I have mixed feelings about this subject and just want to throw out some thoughts I had after reading the article and the comments.
Do I find the photo obscene? No, I don't, but I don't particularly want it on a huge poster in the mall where my 6 year old can see it. There is a time and a place for everything - bare butts in public is not the place. Just because you see them at the beach or other public places doesn't make it appropriate, either.
I find it odd that a store that purports to sell clothing photographs their models wearing little or nothing. The article says the butt-check ad is one of two that were confiscated. What was the other one? Was it the one of the girl standing naked with her arm covering her breast? Can that be called an "ad" where there is no product in the shot? Yes, I know the ads aren't selling the product - they are selling a lifestyle. They are saying, "buy our crap imported from the 3rd world and you can be cool and hip and sexy like us." Yeah, right.
How would you feel if an old man at the end of your block was showing this kind of stuff to your middle schooler to entice them into his home? Is is less creepy because a faceless corpora
Nudity
What hypocrites any official in the Commonwealth of Virginia must be to condemn any form of nudity when the symbol of the Commonwealth includes a bare-breasted woman! Hello?
Douglas G,
Not entirely true. Anonymous speech is protect, so too is the anonymous "citizen complaint.
Soon, I guess soon, 3 of my "anonymous" comments on this subject will be approved by "whoever" the approvers of posts are.
There is no way that this survives a First Amendment challenge. None. One need only see Alito's opinions on free speech to know that if it gets that far the NEW appointees to SCOTUS will side with A&F.
Regards,
Remember, this is the same
Virginia Beach police department that arrested some 100 +60-year old bingo players at a church bingo game that resulted in several hospitalizations with at least one serious cardiac situation.
For azmensan
I'm offended by what you said about Virginia Beach!!! I'm not sure what beach you were on but I have lived here my whole life and I have never seen what you say you saw on what a visit to our wonderful beaches? If you are that much of a prude lock your self in your room and PLEASE never come to virginia again we dont need or like your kind!
This is dumb.
It's not like there is this lady with a fully exposed naked breast on your state flag. But hey, when a city chooses to harbor a Taliban style evil (Robertson), what does one expect? I hope this manager gets the cop laughed right out of court.
LOL
Mike,
I Spent 10 years in U.S. Navy, MM2(SS), because I always felt that while I may agree or disagree with someone, I would also fight to the death, their for their rights. I Disagree with the actions taken here, but the people who complained ALWAYS have the right to complain, the ACTIONS taken due to the complaint, at least my MY EYES, were excessive. I feel whoever complained should not be afraid to step forth and say, "I did it!", because fear to do so, shows that they are uncomfortable with their own actions. If you can' stand up for what you did, well, there's not much more I can say.....
I love the Virginia Beach Police!
You may access all body parts and any type of sexual activity, including that involving children, with a few clicks of a mouse. Must we be exposed to this in public as well? Is there no room for civility and boundaries in public life?
Thanks to the police force for responding to concerned citizens who care that we maintain some boundary between public and private.
I greatly fear that jihadists will someday take over the world, not because they are right but because people who will not govern themselves will be governed by others.
We have a choice here: voluntarily accept reasonable boundaries or face the draconian boundaries of totalitarian regimes that we will embrace precisely because they bring the order we have blithely discarded. Govern yourself, or someone will do it for you.
Pornography is hate for women and children. It is becoming hate for everyone, including the men now abused in its production.
...what a joke...
That's Virginia Beach for ya... I assume that while the police were in the mall they were busy citing all the young male kids hanging out for their butts showing, right? I mean, when walking through the mall or anywhere else that "juveniles" are you see way more butt crack than what that picture shows. So, join me Va Beach residents, let's demand they start citing everything offensive, not just focusing on a great store that makes great products that happens to advertise to a slightly more sophisticated crowd. I guess Abercrombie will now go the way of "Fubu" and "CitiTrends" stores and only show men with gold teeth, jerseys and baggy pants.
Selective government intervention
I would be willing to go out on a limb here and estimate that at least 80 percent of the people who are outraged at the city's ordinace are all in favor of the state government passing a no-smoking law. You people need to get a clue. You can't have it both ways. Either allow free commerce with very limited government regulation or willingly accept government (federal, state, and local) regulation even if it goes against things that you enjoy. And don't throw in that rediculous "public health" arguement. That is not the point. The point is people find both (smoking and obsene photos) to be offensive. Be cooperative for once in your life and take the issue up with the company/business and leave the government out of our lives.
Thanks for making VB look like idiots
Congrats to who(m)ever decided to complain about the A&F pictures. You launched us into the national spot light and made VB look like a bunch of idiots!! And you probably just helped A&F have a great start to their February sales with the publicity you just generated for them. I see nothing wrong with Abercrombie or their adevrtising. The problem I have is with people wanting to control every bit of my life from what I wear to what I buy. I have more problems with uptight, conservatve holy rollers that think a little bit of skin is the end of morality and uprising of the devil. Get real! My husband and kids shop at A&F (the kids love A&F kids)& I have no problems. If this poor employee is punished in any way an official needs to look at firing the city attorney.
perhaps some good can come of this
I can assume the Virginia Beach PD is NOT going to tell us they are "understaffed" any time soon?? I mean if you have time to pursue issues like this you have PLENTY of people and time to do so RIGHT? There's a lot of laws on the books that are generally ignored by the PD but enforcement of this is warranted?