French pass bill regulating weight of models

Ultra- thin models may be a thing of the past in France. The country has passed a bill that could fine and even jail fashion houses and modeling agents that hire excessively thin models.

The bill, created as a apart of the country’s campaign against anorexia, requires models to present a medical certificate showing a BMI of at least eighteen. The BMI is equivalent to roughly 121 pounds for a height of five feet, seven inches. Models must have this weight before being hired for a job and they must maintain that weight while on the job.

Local therapist Melinda Brett works with patients battling anorexia. She says although this law was passed in another country, those models are seen all over the world and are able to influence anyone.

Brett says, “I think most people that begin any level of an eating disorder start with the desire to be thin. The desire to be thin comes from the cultural standard of whatever they’ve been identified with. This will completely be a game changer.”

Violators of the bill passed in France could spend up to six months in jail and fines up to $82,000.