Sweeping legislation passed the French parliament’s lower house today that would make it illegal to “publicly incite extreme thinness.” Fines up to $47,000 and imprisonment might await offenders. Fashion magazines, advertisers, and web sites would all be subject to the law, which will be taken up by the French Senate in the next few weeks.
It will be interesting to see if this law passes, and if it does, what the implications will be. I think it’s safe to say that this young lady, wearing a 2006 Guy Laroche in Paris, might have to start eating a bit in order to avoid imprisonment and a fine.
6 Comments
hvitullo · April 16, 2008 at 12:12 am
I think that things like this have been done before and it has never really stuck. As far as implementing a fine for “publicly inciting extreme thinness” is somewhat silly because it is vague and people will contest it all day long. If they really want to see some change then a weight and BMI minimum should be implemented. That is the only way anything is really going to change. The general idea is good because at least people are realizing that something needs to change but i think the definition of “inciting extreme thinness” needs to be a bit more clear.
bwerter · April 16, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I think the point of the law is to outlaw advertisements showing extremely thin people because France is worried about the health of the models and the health of the people who look up to them. France doesn’t want part of their culture to be glorifying unhealthily thin people. They have already put BMI limits for some of their fashion weeks (kind of like a you must be this tall to ride) which has removed some very famous models from the French runway. Eating disorder levels are much higher in Caucasian women than African Americans. The most interesting part is that in areas with almost no Caucasian population, eating disorders in African Americans is incredibly rare, but when African American women are in a population with many Caucasian women those levels rise almost equal to Caucasians. Clearly the society and the culture one immerses themselves in plays a huge role so I don’t see any problem with the French trying to promote a healthier society.
Laura Freberg · April 17, 2008 at 10:29 am
It is my understanding that the American fashion industry has been more reluctant than the Europeans about adopting some strategies, such as requiring a minimum 18.5 BMI for runway models. American fashion people said that this would mean a six foot tall woman “ballooning” to 140. Frankly, a woman that tall would be more of a stick than a balloon. We know that people with BMIs between 19 and 22 live the longest, so why not go with that? (assuming you are not an athlete or other person for whom BMI doesn’t work well–but there are not too many people like that)
KCCHAFFEE · April 20, 2008 at 4:44 pm
As someone who works with kids on a daily basis, it is hard for me not to notice how much they are influenced by all different media outlets. As the American public becomes more and more overweight it seems people are finally willing to advocate for the implementation of more “health” classes and activities in elementary and middle schools. This, of course, is great, but we must remember, for many kids an hour of class a day on how to stay healthy and not obsess over being too thin is often counterbalanced by the four hours of television, magazines and movies they are immersed in when they get home. While I’m not sure the law needs to get involved, I do think that this type of story helps to create the kind of dialogue that is good for the overall cause.
mbernie · April 23, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Its great France is trying to tackle the issue of extreme thinness, however, in my mind this will never pass. Too many people in the fashion world will argue that it is a personal choice to be deathly thin, they might use the same kind of arguments as pro-abortion people use; “Keep your laws off my body.”. Also, the images of thin models has been in the public eye longer than I’ve been alive, it will take much more than a law and some fines to rip the notion of extremely thin equals beautiful out of the minds of the fashion aware.
Isn’t France one of the top fashion countries? Wouldn’t this put a pressure on the fashion industry and make people within the industry stray from France? It doesn’t seem like anyone in the fashion world would go for this law being passed even if it meant longer healthier lives for the models…but what do I know, I’m no fashion luminary.
jmgraham · April 28, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Even if the law is passed, I think that it will take a long time for attitudes to change in the country. Because as of right now, people still idolize that extremely thin look. While I think the intentions of the law is good, I am not convinced that it is going to have a huge impact on society (if at all). Although, how refreshing it would be to see people in advertising ads that actually look like real people we see on the street.
This legislation (if passed) will have a greater affect than on just the models and the attitudes of France citizens. What will the companies do that aren’t just based in France? Will they keep the thin look for their other advertisements and just change the ones within the borders?
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