Lately, France passed a bill aimed at banning super skinny fashion models, by requiring them to obtain a doctor’s medical approval to work in the fashion industry.
The law passed by the French National Assembly requires models to see a doctor, and requires photos that have been edited to alter a model’s appearance to include a caption indicating the alteration. The aim is to do away with the use of “excessively thin” models, reported BBC News.
The new law is also intended to make a positive contribution to public health. Modeling agencies that don’t comply with the new law, that requires models to see a doctor to be eligible for employment, could be fined $81,000. Non-complying executives at modeling agencies could also spend six months behind bars.
An initial draft of the law proposed having doctors determine if models could work based on their Body Mass Index (BMI). But after protests and lobbying from modeling agencies and the fashion industry, the law requires doctors to determine employment eligibility based on a combination of age, weight, and overall body shape.
