Models In France Can’t Be Too Skinny, Need Doctor’s Note — 6 Months In Jail And $81,500 Fine At Risk
There are new rules for models working in France in order to try and prevent models from modeling while they are dangerously thin. Models in France must have a doctor’s note, reported The Guardian.
Although there was no minimum imposed BMI — the body mass index that measures body fat for women and men based on their height and weight — the new rules for models in France requires a doctor’s certificate. In addition to requiring models in France to get an okay from a physician to work, the new law means that those rules must be adhered to or else a fine of approximately $81,500 could be levied, along with a jail sentence of up to six months.
The new ruling in France is being applauded, especially the part of the bill that also makes it a law for publications to note which photos have been Photoshopped or edited. Measures like these help portray more realistic views of models in magazines, and help to dissuade anorexia in models.
The problem of the proliferation with eating disorders is sometimes traced to the modeling industry, especially those industry insiders that force women to thin down to unhealthy weights in what they see is an attempt to help the clothes hang better off of thin bodies. However, the new bill enacted on Thursday seeks to reverse unhealthy thought patterns in the modeling sphere.
“It would be better to provide more resources to care for anorexic patients…more awareness to eating disorders in society.”
The law was aimed as a direct hit against websites that promote eating disorders, but some experts and modeling agencies have come out against the law. On social media, certain hashtags used to promote super-skinny behaviors can be found under labels not expected, such as #SecretSociety123, as reported by the Inquisitr. Some of those posts come with a warning from Instagram that the photos can contain upsetting content.
“Content Advisory. Please be advised: These posts may contain graphic content. For information and support with eating disorders please tap on learn more.
Labels like #thinspoooo, #thinspooooo, #thinspirationn, #thinspirational, #thinspirationaleating, #ed, #eatingdisorder, #ana #anorexia, #anorexic, #proanaa, #proana, #proanadiet, #diet, #dieting, #skinny and #wannabeskinny are the hashtags that promote such disorders.
Other hashtags offer real solutions towards eating disorder recovery, with people who’ve suffered from anorexia nervosa or bulimia sharing how they learned to eat normally once more.
The new law in France makes it illegal to hire models that are way too thin, something that has been a source of controversy for years. Vogue banned models younger than 16-years of age, or models that displayed the physical signs of an eating disorder.
Models in France Now Need a Doctor's Note to Work https://t.co/uFHtis1YxD pic.twitter.com/Gzu4kWJJaM
— Harper's Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) December 19, 2015
Just how much the new law will literally change the modeling industry remains to be seen. Vogue promised that their June issues would include the changes required by the new law. The death of truly tiny sample sizes that dictate the need for super skinny models should also be done away with as the new law is enacted.
[AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File]
