A few weeks ago the fashion world was interrupted by a serious piece of legislature in France that could possibly start a domino effect among fashion forward countries around the world. Lawmaker and neurologist, Olivier Véran, proposed an amendment to the health bill that said French modeling agencies would not be allowed to employ models who have a body mass index lower than 18. (Body mass index, also known as BMI, is a measurement of body fat according to a person’s specific height and weight.)
In order to enforce and uphold this law, modeling agencies would only be able to hire models that have official medical documents stating that they have a BMI of 18 or above; and the agencies themselves would also have to make sure their doctors are checking the models routinely. If the agencies don’t abide to these laws, they could be heavily fined and possibly serve prison time.
This recent proposal is not the first of its kind. Countries like Italy, Spain, and Israel already have laws similar to this in place in order to avoid the promotion of anorexia. The fashion industry is said to be the promoter of anorexia in young teens, and countries like France, which has a high percentage of anorexic teens, are trying to fix the issue.
The stick thin models of the 90’s are so last decade, strong and healthy is the new trend and it makes you look and feel absolutely beautiful! Just remember that being healthy and comfortable with your body is more important than the number you see on the scale.