On December 17, 2015, French legislature passed a bill requiring models to obtain doctor's certificates stating that they are of a healthy weight before searching for jobs.
According to Time Magazine, this bill was not the first legislation to be passed on the matter, but is rather a modified version of a previous French bill in which models were required to have a BMI of at least 18. Time states that this BMI equates to a model who is about 5 ft. 7 in. and weighs 121 pounds.
BBC states that, following much controversy, French legislature revised and passed a new bill merely requiring agencies to take the health of a model into consideration before hiring one for the job. Moreover, any pictures that are photoshopped or altered in any way to appear thinner must be identified as such.
Contrary to first opinion, the new bill is not as concerned with the health of French models as it is with the health of the citizens who may see such models on magazine covers or strutting down the runway of a fashion show. Officials worry that individuals who observe such thin models will deem it necessary to conform to such strict standards.
It is undoubtedly true that the media play a large role in influencing the audiences who follow them. A study done by Yoonhyeung Choi called "Third-Person Effects of Idealized Body Image in Magazine Advertisements" notes how, even though consumers may recognize that the individuals they observe in magazines or on TV possess digitally-altered appearances, they worry that others may not believe that such figures are altered. This perception leads them to feel the need to conform to such standards in order to meet the unrealistic expectations of others, often employing unhealthy tactics in order to do so.
By forcing magazines to openly say when they have altered a photo, French lawmakers hope to diminish this third-person effect in which media consumers feel the pressure to "subtract" from themselves in order to feel better about their bodies.
Whether or not this law will effectively combat negative body image and eating disorders is unknown. Despite the fact that professionally-published content now has stricter regulations, social media and other public forms of media can still easily remain unregulated.
Just the simple act of scrolling through image-based websites such as Tumblr or Instagram can have just as many, if not more, implications on an individual's body image. #Thinspo, or "thinspiration," is a popular tag on such sites promoting the inspiration of consumers to become thinner by means of changing one's diet or exercise routine. While such approaches may seem harmless, they are often the stepping stone in prompting later, risky means of slimming down.
Moreover, in a place as global as today's society, it is very easy for French citizens to access media from other countries that are outside France's jurisdiction. This means that they will still be exposed to images from other sources that may trigger feelings of negative body image.
So, while this bill might be a good first step at combatting the negative body image of French citizens, it is merely the beginning of a long journey to emphasize health over appearance.
