Israel says no to skinny models

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Under new laws models working in Israel will be required to submit a current medical report stating that they are not underweight according to standards established by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

If someone has a Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight by height in metres squared, less than 18.5 they are considered malnourished by WHO standards.

The Israeli law also requires the disclosure of digital retouching in advertisements in local publications.

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The new law is being touted as an example to fashion industries in other countries of how government can play a role in reducing the prevalence of eating disorders and other health issues associated with low weight among models.

“We want to break the illusion that the model we see is real,” Liad Gil-Har, assistant to law sponsor Dr. Rachel Adato, told media.

The new regulation comes days after the release of a Models Alliance survey which found that most models begin working in the industry between the impressionable ages of 13 and 16.

Alarmingly, 64 per cent of models surveyed had been asked to lose weight for work, while 68 per cent said they experienced anxiety or depression.

In 2006 Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, 21, died from anorexia nervosa. Reston had a BMI of just 13.4 when she died.

Critics of the legislation however argue that decisions about a model’s fitness to work should be based on health, rather than weight.

They say that the law discriminates against models who are naturally thin, like supermodel Naomi Campbell whose BMI is less than 18.5.

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