France Passes a New Law Banning "Excessively Thin" Models
Photo Courtesy of JustLuxe
The French government has passed a new law making it a criminal offence to employ excessively thin models on the catwalk.
Under the new law, models who want to work in France will have to provide a doctor’s note confirming their overall health and an appropriate Body Mass Index and anyone running an agency found to be employing models below the set BMI, risks a maximum six-month prison term and a €75,000 fine. Further to this the new law also means that magazines are under an obligation to routinely indicate when a commercial photograph of a model has been digitally "touched up" to make a model appear skinnier or bulkier or risk being fined up to €37,500 or up to 30 per cent of the sums spent on advertising.
France joins Israel, which in 2012 passed a law banning underweight models. Italy and Spain, have also adopted similar measures to combat the use of underweight models on the catwalk and in advertising campaigns.
In 2012, Israel enacted BMI rules for models, as well as necessitating that all photos that appear in the media that modify a models appearance to be labelled. In 2007, Spain enacted regulations that banned models below a BMI level of 18.5 from being featured in fashion shows. 2007, the same year - the Italian government also started insisting on health certificates for models as well as a ban on the employment of models on the runway under the age of 16.
The hard-hitting new French legislation is aimed at combating the growing problem of anorexia in models and rising numbers of young people with eating disorders. The French government is hoping that these laws will promote a healthier and more realistic body image for women, yet despite the seemingly positive agenda behind the move, the exact parameters of the French law are unclear and the new law has been met with criticism.
France is a country that boasts one of the most thriving fashion sectors in the world, some say that new law on models will affect the competitiveness of the French fashion industry. “How can French agencies be competitive if they’re held to one standard in France that others are not in other countries?” says Isabelle Saint-Félix, general secretary of Synam, France's union of model agencies, "The power is in the hands of designers, photographers and editors," he has told WWD. "They're the ones who make dresses in size 34 or 36, who decide to shoot or feature them. Modelling agencies respond to the demand of advertisers, designers and photographers. One asks models to fit in a dress - not the opposite."
The World Health Organisation considers people with a BMI below 18.5 to be underweight and at risk of being malnourished. However under the new bill, the exact BMI is still yet to be decided. French minsters overruled a clause in an earlier draft of the bill imposing a standard minimum BMI based on a models height and weight. Instead, minsters agreed to adopt a more case by case approach and let the doctors decide whether a models weight is unacceptable - taking into account a range of standards, including gender, age and body shape.
It's still questionable how this new law will be implemented. With Paris Couture Fashion week only a few months away, it will be interesting to see if this new law holds any weight.