Parents at a US High school have expressed outrage after a photo of a girl appearing to expose her genitals was published in a high school year book.
The picture of the female student lifting her graduation gown above her waist went unnoticed in Lake Norman's 2011 High School Year Book, buried on page 14. However on Wednesday one mother raised the alarm over the apparent indecency.
Describing the image as "pornography" the mother told WSPCTV she was outraged after shelling out $100 for the piece of high school memorabilia.
News of the racy photo has spread "like wildfire" through the North Carolina college with students texting each other to turn to the fabled page 14.
The Statesville district’s public information officer, Dawn Creason tried to quash rumours.
"We think it was the way she was sitting and the angle of her gown,” Creason told WSOCTV. “We’re not convinced at all that you’re seeing what you think you are.”
However her suggestion that the appearance of the girl's genitalia was merely an optical illusion caused by the girl squeezing her thighs together has been described as "laughable" by one parent.
Neither the girl nor her family have come forward to admit whether the pose was meant as a prank
The district has said that anyone who bought a yearbook can have a refund. However since the offending image was spotted on Wednesday, only one yearbook was returned, reports the Statesville Record And Landmark.
Many parents and students have also weighed in to the debate, believing that uproar over the image has been blown way out of proportion.
As the girl was 18 at the time the photo was published, the image cannot be called child pornography. The district is investigating the incident.