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Mail Online: Ultra-skinny models are to be confined to history after the a law came into effect in Israel for the start of 2013.
Only healthy looking models with a Body Mass Index of more than 18.5, such as the country's most famous export, Bar Refaeli, will be able to work there.
This is great news for Israeli women, women everywhere and honestly society as a whole. We talk endlessly about the body image issues created by the media and the misleading representation of women, but how often do we hear that something is actually being done about it? Raising awareness is important but in the end it's not everything. It is so good to hear that there is a government effort to put an end to unhealthy beauty norms. I don't know whether any other countries have created a law about this like Israel did, but I can only hope that many will follow in its footsteps.
This is really great to see because one of my friends from high school, when she was a sophomore, was hospitalized for anorexia. The disorder was purely caused by her feel for the need to look like...that. Even just the knowledge that anorexia is not considered a good thing is some (if not all) societies will help this problem.
I think its very sad that this has to be legislated, but I admire the Israeli government for doing so. However, this law will not be without some stumbling blocks. The article acknowledges that there may not be a way to enforce it, and does mention that in the US and UK, the advertising industry is not regulated (and if it were, there would be an interesting free speech argument to make). What I WOULD like to see us learn from this is that anorexia and body image problems need to be acknowledged a bit more, and we need to learn how to approach it.
I am so proud of Israel right now. As a dancer , growing up many of my friends had body image issues and eating disorders. All our walls were covered in pictures of skinny models who we wanted to look like, but there was no one telling us how bad that was for our self esteem. Even our dance teacher encouraged us to be thinner. If magazines and added showed healthier modles then maybe girls wouldn't go to such extremes. Now America and the UK just need to jump on the bandwagon. Seeing as they produce most of the mainstream adds and media they should set a better standard.
I think that this is a fabulous law to have in effect, but I also do understand the article's counter argument that maybe the focus should be more on health and less focused on weight/BMI, especially since some people are naturally skinny. However, I'm not quite sure how you could regulate that besides using hard and fast numbers like BMI. I'd also be a little skeptical about the real effects of a law like this. Of course, if it helps even one person, that's a success, but there are still a wide range of other industries with the same, if not more, influence on young people (music, television, movies) that star actresses who are just as skinny as many models. This is a huge step in the right direction, but I think the Knesset has to come up with a way to regulate and enforce the law (which they admit they have no way of doing at the moment) and also, regulations like this should begin to be implemented in other parts of the entertainment and arts industry in order to have any lasting effect on the mindset of young adults.
I think this is a fantastic idea and should not only be implemented in Israel but in other countries as well. By removing the unobtainable body type from popular culture and stopping the idolization of unhealthily skinny people we can greatly improve the health of modern young women. I also think the Photoshop warning is a good idea because just as many healthy models are edited to impossible shapes and looks, once again distorting the perception of pretty.
I think this is a fantastic move on Israelis parts, and i really really hope that this movement carries on over into other countries. When i see the majority of models these days i am personally afraid for them, theyre extremely unhealthy and there is no way that what they're doing is natural. The way girls want to look today and the way most are expected to look is just completely un attainable, not to mention unrealistic seeing as how the majority of women are over weight. i truely hope this trend catches on and spreads.
FINALLY. In an industry where looks play a significant part in whether or not one gets hired, it's significantly harder for girls who aren't as skinny as society would like to see them as to get jobs. A majority of people don't look as skinny as these models do, so why even market products on those skinny girls? If you want your stuff to sell, get some real people with real bodies. This is a great move and this should definitely be implemented everywhere.
I really like that it makes publishers put warning on photos that have been altered to make the model seem skinnier. I like the idea of forcing media adds to change how girls feel about their own body image. I just feel like there would be a fight from the modeling industry here and it could become a big issue that would probably go high up in the court systems. Dpswag makes a good point about the potential of items selling better if manufactures used more normal looking models.
What a great initiative. Always I have been puzzled as to why performance enhancing drugs are frowned upon and outlawed in athleticism but anorexia and Photoshop are considered just another part of the fashion industry. Not only is it unethical and immoral, it seems a little unfair. Setting impossible expectations as to how women, and sometimes men, should look is not causing just physical problems, but mental and emotional ones as well.
While this will hopefully have a positive effect, I agree with Brian in the light that it is sad that it had to become legislature. Also, it's important to provide more help for the people suffering from these conditions, as the lack of display of such models may discourage more people from developing them, but the people who already have them will still need treatment. Also, I think the focus should remain on healthy bodies, which can be skinny bodies if you are built a certain way. Showing people of ALL body types would be great, so long as they have proven themselves to be living a suitable lifestyle.
This is a great step in the right direction for the modeling industry, however look at where it is happening, in Israel, where, as the article states, the modeling population is 300. I understand the critics views that the legislation should focus on health, not weight, especially because BMI shouldn't be the only deciding factor. I wonder what hell people would have to go through to get this legislation applied to the models in the UK and US. I know that the writer states that the industry is self regulated, but I think everyone knows that the modeling industry is at a stage where a change needs to be enforced.
I think this was a good move on the Israeli legislature's part, and I think more countries need to start paying attention to this as it has been and is becoming even more of a crucial issue. Especially with Hollywood and modeling there is such pressure to be thin, when many times the standards are unrealistic. Here is Purnell even people aren't educated enough on how to lose or maintain weight in HEALTHY ways. I think it is also so important for girls to start seeing models and stars with "real" bodies because we can talk all we want about how pictures are photoshopped or how you don't need to be anorexic to be successful, but until we actually start seeing real successful people with healthy bodies that maybe are a little curvier or bigger than this "ideal" society has created, nothing is going to change.
13 comments:
This is great news for Israeli women, women everywhere and honestly society as a whole. We talk endlessly about the body image issues created by the media and the misleading representation of women, but how often do we hear that something is actually being done about it? Raising awareness is important but in the end it's not everything. It is so good to hear that there is a government effort to put an end to unhealthy beauty norms. I don't know whether any other countries have created a law about this like Israel did, but I can only hope that many will follow in its footsteps.
This is really great to see because one of my friends from high school, when she was a sophomore, was hospitalized for anorexia. The disorder was purely caused by her feel for the need to look like...that. Even just the knowledge that anorexia is not considered a good thing is some (if not all) societies will help this problem.
I think its very sad that this has to be legislated, but I admire the Israeli government for doing so. However, this law will not be without some stumbling blocks. The article acknowledges that there may not be a way to enforce it, and does mention that in the US and UK, the advertising industry is not regulated (and if it were, there would be an interesting free speech argument to make). What I WOULD like to see us learn from this is that anorexia and body image problems need to be acknowledged a bit more, and we need to learn how to approach it.
I am so proud of Israel right now. As a dancer , growing up many of my friends had body image issues and eating disorders. All our walls were covered in pictures of skinny models who we wanted to look like, but there was no one telling us how bad that was for our self esteem. Even our dance teacher encouraged us to be thinner. If magazines and added showed healthier modles then maybe girls wouldn't go to such extremes. Now America and the UK just need to jump on the bandwagon. Seeing as they produce most of the mainstream adds and media they should set a better standard.
I think that this is a fabulous law to have in effect, but I also do understand the article's counter argument that maybe the focus should be more on health and less focused on weight/BMI, especially since some people are naturally skinny. However, I'm not quite sure how you could regulate that besides using hard and fast numbers like BMI. I'd also be a little skeptical about the real effects of a law like this. Of course, if it helps even one person, that's a success, but there are still a wide range of other industries with the same, if not more, influence on young people (music, television, movies) that star actresses who are just as skinny as many models. This is a huge step in the right direction, but I think the Knesset has to come up with a way to regulate and enforce the law (which they admit they have no way of doing at the moment) and also, regulations like this should begin to be implemented in other parts of the entertainment and arts industry in order to have any lasting effect on the mindset of young adults.
I think this is a fantastic idea and should not only be implemented in Israel but in other countries as well. By removing the unobtainable body type from popular culture and stopping the idolization of unhealthily skinny people we can greatly improve the health of modern young women. I also think the Photoshop warning is a good idea because just as many healthy models are edited to impossible shapes and looks, once again distorting the perception of pretty.
I think this is a fantastic move on Israelis parts, and i really really hope that this movement carries on over into other countries. When i see the majority of models these days i am personally afraid for them, theyre extremely unhealthy and there is no way that what they're doing is natural. The way girls want to look today and the way most are expected to look is just completely un attainable, not to mention unrealistic seeing as how the majority of women are over weight. i truely hope this trend catches on and spreads.
FINALLY. In an industry where looks play a significant part in whether or not one gets hired, it's significantly harder for girls who aren't as skinny as society would like to see them as to get jobs. A majority of people don't look as skinny as these models do, so why even market products on those skinny girls? If you want your stuff to sell, get some real people with real bodies. This is a great move and this should definitely be implemented everywhere.
I really like that it makes publishers put warning on photos that have been altered to make the model seem skinnier. I like the idea of forcing media adds to change how girls feel about their own body image. I just feel like there would be a fight from the modeling industry here and it could become a big issue that would probably go high up in the court systems. Dpswag makes a good point about the potential of items selling better if manufactures used more normal looking models.
What a great initiative. Always I have been puzzled as to why performance enhancing drugs are frowned upon and outlawed in athleticism but anorexia and Photoshop are considered just another part of the fashion industry. Not only is it unethical and immoral, it seems a little unfair. Setting impossible expectations as to how women, and sometimes men, should look is not causing just physical problems, but mental and emotional ones as well.
While this will hopefully have a positive effect, I agree with Brian in the light that it is sad that it had to become legislature. Also, it's important to provide more help for the people suffering from these conditions, as the lack of display of such models may discourage more people from developing them, but the people who already have them will still need treatment. Also, I think the focus should remain on healthy bodies, which can be skinny bodies if you are built a certain way. Showing people of ALL body types would be great, so long as they have proven themselves to be living a suitable lifestyle.
This is a great step in the right direction for the modeling industry, however look at where it is happening, in Israel, where, as the article states, the modeling population is 300. I understand the critics views that the legislation should focus on health, not weight, especially because BMI shouldn't be the only deciding factor. I wonder what hell people would have to go through to get this legislation applied to the models in the UK and US. I know that the writer states that the industry is self regulated, but I think everyone knows that the modeling industry is at a stage where a change needs to be enforced.
I think this was a good move on the Israeli legislature's part, and I think more countries need to start paying attention to this as it has been and is becoming even more of a crucial issue. Especially with Hollywood and modeling there is such pressure to be thin, when many times the standards are unrealistic. Here is Purnell even people aren't educated enough on how to lose or maintain weight in HEALTHY ways. I think it is also so important for girls to start seeing models and stars with "real" bodies because we can talk all we want about how pictures are photoshopped or how you don't need to be anorexic to be successful, but until we actually start seeing real successful people with healthy bodies that maybe are a little curvier or bigger than this "ideal" society has created, nothing is going to change.
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