TOO SKINNY TO MODEL
Last Monday, a new law passed in Israel that banned models from getting modeling gigs if they are too thin. “Too thin” under the law is a BMI (ratio of weight to height) under 18.5. The law also says that if a model looks underweight, she can’t be used either. And if any graphic manipulation was done in a photo to create a thinner illusion, it must be clearly stated.
I think that this is a great step towards creating a more realistic and attainable standard of beauty for us women. It will help promote healthier lifestyles in the modeling industry and put somewhat of a stop to eating disorders.
But this law is flawed.
I understand that statistically anyone with a BMI under 18.5 is considered underweight (normal is between 18.5-24.9 for women), but what about the girls that are naturally thin and healthy with low BMIs? Everyone’s body is built differently. I think it is a MISTAKE to judge a woman’s health based just on this number. It is the same thing as judging someone based on the number that appears on a scale. And the subjective part about not letting someone model who simply “looks underweight” – what does that really mean? It means more room for politics and games.
Overall, I think this will help the greater population of models to not resort to extreme measures to keep their jobs. The government wants to promote healthy living – that’s fine – but I really don’t like that someone’s health can be judged by a number, legally.
What’s your opinion on this? I’d love to hear.
SOURCES:
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/20/us-israel-models-law-idUSBRE82J0G420120320
