In Israel, it was forbidden to use bad models in advertising
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The Israeli government passed a law banning the use of models with too low weight in advertising and on the podium. According to the new law, models must confirm their weight with a certificate from a doctor, and fashion magazines - monitor the authenticity of photographs and prevent "slimming" models on them using image processing software.
The bill is based on the calculation of the body mass index - a value that allows to assess the degree of conformity of the human mass and its growth. To calculate this indicator, you should divide the weight (in kilograms) by the height in a square (in meters). To have access to fashion shows and photo sessions, the Israeli body mass index must be at least 18.5. The figure must be confirmed by a fresh certificate from the doctor.
Proponents of the law believe that the fashion for excessive leanness is guilty in eating disorders of adolescent girls. About two percent of girls in Israel between the ages of 14 and 18 suffer from various eating disorders (in other developed countries, statistics are similar).
Rachel Adatto, a doctor and member of the Knesset, who promoted the law, believes that now the image of a healthier body will prevail in advertising. "Beauty is not a low weight, beauty should not be anorexic, " she comments her point of view.
In the camp of supporters of the law there are representatives of the fashion industry. "Looking back 15-20 years ago, I remember that we were shooting models of size 38. Today they are 24 sizes.There is a difference between a thin and too thin girl, and this is the difference between life and death," says Adi Barkan, , an Israeli model agent and a fashion photographer.
Nevertheless, many models believe that the new bill is biased and will deprive the earnings of really skinny girls of nature who can not gain weight. Critics of the law also believe that when developing it should focus not on weight, but on health.
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