Abercrombie & Fitch to ditch 'sexualized marketing'

Retail clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch will end by July its "sexualized marketing," after years of blanketing its web sites, store windows and shopping bags with photos of half-naked men, according to the Washington Post.

It will also stop using shirtless models or lifeguards at events and store openings for both the Abercrombie & Fitch and the Hollister brands, the newspaper reported late Friday, citing an announcement.

Rather than call its staff "models," the teen-focused retailer will refer to employees as "brand representatives," and it will no longer hire workers based on "body type or physical attractiveness," as well.

Abercrombie & Fitch had come under fire in recent years for its strict dress code and sexualized marketing, and has been in a Supreme Court case for denying a Muslim woman a job because of her head scarf.

The changes come as the company faces slumping sales, as teens increasingly move away from the brand, according to the Washington Post.