While a few other countries, including Italy, Israel and Spain, have passed laws that ban super-skinny models from posing for ad campaigns and walking in runways shows, France’s new legislation could have the biggest impact as a fashion capital and home to the most renowned designers, agencies and magazines in the world.
Under this new law, a model cannot work if her BMI (Body Mass Index) is “lower than levels proposed by health authorities and decreed by ministers of health and labor“, models would have to present medical certificates (at least 55 kg for a height of 1.75 m), to be hired for a job and for a few weeks afterwards, in this way, the model would not be able to lose weight before presenting this certificate, once again.
Another measure, is that any website inciting a reader to “seek excessive thinness by encouraging eating restrictions for a prolonged period of time, resulting in risk of mortality or damage to health“, will face up to a year in prison and fines of up to 100,000 euros. Also, any re-touched photo alterating the body appearance for commercial purposes must have a message stating it had been manipulated.
On the other hand, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) in the US, instead of employing legislation to clamp down on excessive thinness, works by educating members of the industry about nutrition and warning signs for eating disorders.
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