By Melanie Nathan, April 06, 2012.
A new Israeli law is trying to fight the spread of eating disorders by banning underweight models from local advertising and requiring publications to disclose when they use altered images to make women and men appear thinner. The law, passed late Monday, appears to be the first attempt by any government to use legislation to take on a fashion industry accused of abetting eating disorders by idealizing extreme thinness. It could become a model for other countries grappling with the spread of anorexia and bulimia, particularly among young women.
Israel often takes the lead on progressive issues and this elucidates a Knesset (Parliament) that thrives in a modern culture, notwithstanding the fact that the country is based on and home to a religion.
The law’s supporters said they hoped it would encourage the use of healthy models in local advertising and heighten awareness of digital tricks that transform already thin women into illusory waifs.
“We want to break the illusion that the model we see is real,” said Liad Gil-Har, assistant to law sponsor Dr. Rachel Adato, who compares the battle against eating disorders to the struggle against smoking.
The new law requires models to produce a medical report, dating back no more than three months, at every shoot that will be used on the Israeli market, stating that they are not malnourished by World Health Organization standards.
The U.N. agency uses a standard known as the body mass index — calculated by dividing weight by height — to determine malnutrition. WHO says a body-mass index below 18.5 is indicative of malnutrition, said Adato, a gynecologist.
According to that standard, a woman 5 feet 8 inches (1.72 meters) tall should weigh no less than 119 pounds (54 kilograms).” (USA TODAY)
Read more from the source at USA today and let me know what you think. Do you think this is too much government or do you believe that this kind of regulation helps protect our vulnerable kids? Do we give Kudos to Israel for taking the lead yet again?
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