Is France about to ban super-skinny models?

Socialist lawmaker and neurologist Olivier Veran proposed new amendments relating fashion models’ weight: "Up to 40.000 people in France suffer from anorexia. It's intolerable to promote malnutrition and to commercially exploit people who are endangering their own health.”

The French Government gave its backing yesterday to the amendments, which include the following:

• Models would have to present a medical certificate showing a BMI (Body Mass Index) of at least 18, about 55 kg (121 lb) for a height of 1.75m (5.7 ft), before being hired for a job and for a few weeks afterwards.
• The law would enforce regular weight checks and fines of up to €75,000 ($107,326) for any breaches, with up to six months in jail for the modelling agency or fashion house that hires them.

The bill’s amendments also propose penalties for anything made public that could be seen as encouraging extreme thinness, notably pro-ana websites that promote unhealthy lifestyles.

If this law will be approved, France would join Italy, Spain and Israel which all adopted laws against too thin models on catwalks or in advertising campaigns in 2013.

I say: Hallelujah! Let's hope it will actually change the image of beauty a little and models are less likely to get this awful disease.

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