I was browsing the nutrition blogs and came across this news – news to me – that France was going to pass legislation to stop fashion houses from promoting anorexia as a lifestyle.
I researched the story and found out it’s happened. This April members of the French fashion industry signed a government-backed charter at fighting anorexia. The charter asked participants to work toward presenting diverse body images and not publicizing images that promote extreme thinness.
It was a nonbinding charger signed by fashion houses, advertising agencies and the media to stop promoting waiflike models.
A few days later the French National Assembly approved unprecedented legislation that make the promotion of extreme dieting a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and fines up to $47,000.
The fashion industry isn’t happy and neither is the media. Everyone has questions how the bill will be implemented and interpreted; in other words, how strict will the regulations be?
Ever since the death of two anorexic Latin American models two years ago, countries with fashion industries have been pressured to better protect their models.
Spain banned models who have less than an 18.5 body mass index. As a result, something like 30 percent of the models were given medical treatment. Italian fashion houses Prada, Armani and Versace agreed to ban super-skinny models from the catwalk in February 2007. London, on the other hand, thought this issue is too difficult to enforce and opts to change attitudes through education.
When I find out anything about the American fashion industry, I’ll let you know.
I realize that few if any of us are into haute couture but think about it. High fashion trickles down to the celebs and rock stars, to the department stores interpretation of fashion for the masses, to fashion for young teens and young girls. It just does. Don’t you think it will be great not having to fight that image for your self, you child, your grandchild?
I saw a photo of one of the models who died – she may have been 18 or 20 years old but she looked just like my older sister before she died. You need to catch your breath because it’s so frightening.
Have you ever seen a fashion show with really thin models?
I just read somewhere – no it was a sound byte on TV news – that now
They’re requesting male models to be ultra thin? Do you know anything about this?
Scroll down to Comments and tell us what you know.
To your successful lifestyle,
Ruthan Brodsky
Writer for business and health care professionals
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