France bans ultra-thin models from advertisements and the catwalk
Today, the French Members of Parliament voted to ban the use of ultra-thin models, causing uproar from the modelling agencies of Paris.
The legislation was proposed to combat anorexia and the fashion industry’s influence on ‘pro-ana’ websites. The minimum body mass index (BMI) is yet to be specified, but any agency that uses models that fall below this figure will face charges of €75,000 (£55,000). Furthermore, the staff of the agency could face up to six months in prison. Images of models that do not state when they have been retouched will incur a €37,500 fine, or potentially up to 30% of the entire expenditure on the advertisement featuring the image.
The National Union of Modelling Agencies has complained to this legislation, urging that it will affect the competitiveness of French modelling. It has also been argued that anorexia, a mental disorder, should not be confused with natural thinness.
This ban follows in the footsteps of Spain and Italy’s recently passed laws on the physical health of their models.
An estimated 40,000 people suffer from the eating disorder in France, and roughly 9 out of 10 are women.
This is a very interesting news. It will go a long way in preventing young girls from having anorexia and bulimia all in a bid to look like these models. And especially those pro-ana websites where young girls get support to end up in a situation where they get very sick or even die in the process.