France Takes A Serious Stand Against Harmful Modeling Standards
In an effort to reform the the notoriously unrealistic and potentially harmful standards placed on models, France has passed a law to reform the hiring practices for models, placing special emphasis on their health.
The law that passed this Thursday included requirements that models have medical proof that they are in good health and within a certain Body Mass Index. Fashion companies and agencies that fail to meet these standards will be fined 75,000 Euros ($82,000 US).
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Photoshopped images came under fire, too. Photos used in advertisements that have altered a model's appearance in any way are required to be labeled as such. Fines for not doing so will cost companies 37,500 Euros ($40,535 US), or more.
While there's potential for corruption by the doctors assessing the health of the models, we'll take this as a step in the right direction towards creating more awareness and promoting change within a powerful and prominent industry.
Related read:
- Why BMI Is A Terrible Measure Of Your Health
(h/t WWD)
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Leah Vanderveldt is an author living in Brooklyn, New York. She received her bachelor’s in communications and media from Fordham University, and is certified in culinary nutrition from the Natural Gourmet Institute. She is the author of two cookbooks: The New Nourishing and The New Porridge.
Vanderveldt is a former food editor at mindbodygreen and has previously worked for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Australian Home Beautiful.