Uh, how is it obscene?

Take a look at that picture. Do you think it's obscene? Apparently Virginia City thinks so. According to this news article, the police there confiscated two advertisements from an Abercrombie & Fitch store. One of the pictures seized was apparently this one. How the hell is it obscene? The girl is not rubbing her hoo-hoos against the guy in front of her. The guy with the butt crack isn't taking a dump. It's not obscene.

Now, I'm by no means an A&F defender. In fact, I have railed against them in the past for its snooty business model. I make fun of their catalogs that seem to be more interested in showing off the body than the product. That's actually the intent--to sell a lifestyle, an image, a sense of coolness, to a bunch of model wannabes with cash.

Is it fair to say that the ads are lacking in good taste? Yes. But is it obscene? No. It's not depicting sexual acts or excretory functions. I can't even say that it's anywhere near being a "social taboo." It's partial nudity and it's barely even that.

Now if it was the mall that was telling the store to take down the advertisements rather than the city, I'd be okay with that. The mall is a private company and can make rules that can control the "expression" of the stores that lease their units.

I'd be interested in seeing a follow up article on this.