Super Skinny Models Banned in France to Help Eliminate Anorexia Nervosa in the Fashion Industry
It has been a lingering concept that the beau ideal of a super model is someone who sports a spindly figure. But, as the French government stepped up on their campaign to clamp down on anorexia nervosa in the fashion industry, aspiring super slim models would now have a fat chance of getting a crack at their dream job.
France will now forbid overly-thin fashion models and also go after those agents and fashion houses that will continue to employ them. Those who will not adhere to the new legislation could be looking at six months of jail imprisonment and a €75,000 fine ($81,000) wrote BBC News.
As for the part of the models, they will now be required to provide medical certificates proving they are healthy and not dangerously thin. The recently passed bill is aiming to prevent the growing problem of anorexia in the country, especially among models and young people who suffer from eating disorders.
"The measures were adopted as part of a new health bill on Thursday. Models will have to provide employers with a doctor's certificate confirming that the state of health of the model, assessed with regard to her body mass index (BMI) is compatible with the exercise of her profession," wrote The Guardian.
Naturally, not everyone is happy about the new law and some protests ensue from the local modelling industry. "When you look at the criteria behind anorexia, you can't look only at the body mass index when other criteria are also involved: psychological, a history of hair loss, dental problems," said Isabelle Saint-Felix, the head of France's National Union of Modeling Agencies, Yahoo News reported.
"It's important that the models are healthy, but it's a little simplistic to think there won't be any more anorexics if we get rid of very thin models," she added.
Today, there are about 30,000 to 40,000 people in France suffering from anorexia nervosa. Most of the reported cases are life-threatening and a majority of the numbers involve many adolescents. Health Minister Marisol Touraine reminded young models to give utmost priority to their health by eating the right way.
The minister said that this could serve as a caution to young women who see these models as an aesthetic example. France is not the first country to introduce such regulation. Other countries like Israel, Italy, and Spain have also created policies in order to ban excessively thin models from working in the fashion industry, according to Fortune.com.