We live in a culture that is obsessed with thinness; where both men and women go to the extreme to look like the celebrities and models they see all over the media.
Currently, there are 8 million Americans who suffer from an eating disorder, reports the South Carolina Department of Mental Health.
Since the media has such an influence, the Israel government finally stood up to the fashion industry and instituted a law Jan. 1 that bans underweight models.
According to ABC News, now models must have a body-mass index of at least 18.5. Thus a 5-foot-8 model weighing 120 pounds, for example, has a BMI of 18.2, which would eliminate her from modeling in Israel.
This law is also called the “Photoshop Law” because modeling agencies must place a disclaimer on the images that have been altered to make the models appear skinner than they really are.
“I think the U.S. and the rest of the world should start taking steps to remove the unhealthiness from the fashion industry…this ban may be a little extreme because it discriminates the girls who are naturally very skinny, but that is why the government should be more concerned with promoting healthy eating than trying to control weight…hopefully this raises awareness of the unhealthy part of the fashion industry around the world,” said DePaul sophomore, Joanna Buksa.
Unfortunately, the U.S. does not see how the law is necessary because The Council of Fashion Designers of America told the Journal that it would continue to recommend guidelines for healthy eating and fitness, but they would not enforce by creating restrictions on the models.
It is very clear that all the advertisements, celebrities and models we see subconsciously influence our behavior and they spark a desire in us- - a desire to be thin. Even if Congress never passes a bill similar to Israel’s, we need to be strong, learn to be media literate and understand that being thin is not glamorous like the media portrays it to be.
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