Law with a Flaw?

Hello readers!

The high fashion world is known for using extremely skinny super models and is often criticized for promoting unhealthy thinness. However, recently France has joined Italy, Spain and Israel in passing legislation that prohibits using models deemed “too skinny.”

The bill that French legislature voted for states that the “activity of model is banned for any person whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is lower than levels proposed by health authorities and decreed by the ministers of health and labor.”

If companies hire a model whose BMI is under 18, the agency could face a hefty fine of around 75,000 euros (around $82,000) and six months in jail. Models are required under this bill to hold a medical certificate that verifies they have a healthy BMI, as determined by the government. This legislation aims to stop the dangerous/unhealthy thin ideal.

While many believe the legislation is a move in the direction of curbing anorexia, others believe that the bill falsely connects thinness and the disorder. Since there are other criteria involved with anorexia, some do not believe that having laws about modeling requirements will change the rates of anorexia.

Another criticism of the bill is that BMI is not a valid way to determine whether someone is “healthy.” A female who is 5’7” and weighs less than 121 pounds would have a BMI of under 18. She would be considered “unhealthy” with this law, while someone of the same height who weighs more (higher BMI) could have an eating disorder such as anorexia but still pass for “healthy” in the modeling world.

Overall, Marisol Touraine, French health minster, believes that “this is an important message to young women who see these models as an aesthetic example.”

Many of the most famous models in America would not even pass for “healthy” with such requirement... but still, I wonder, will America ever have laws like this?

Until next time,

Carly