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The French Ban The Too Skinny
Filed under: Wacky, Tacky & True > Fashion Smashion > Francophilia
How are they ever going to enforce this???
The French Parliament has created a new bill that would make it illegal for anyone to publicly promote extreme thinness. This includes everything from magazines, newspapers, websites, anything media related.
How do you PROMOTE extreme thinness???
This has "issues" written all over it!
The bill has already been approved unanimously and is set to go for approval to the Senate in the next few weeks.
This law would be the strongest of its type ever passed. The proposed law comes after the death of a Brazilian model in 2006 which was linked to anorexia. Her death prompted officials throughout the fashion industry to re-evaluate and address the use of portraying extremely thin models. This also led to Spain banning extremely thin models from walking in their fashion shows.
The French Health Ministry reports that there about 30,000 to 40,000 people dealing with anorexia in France, with the majority of the cases being women.
Valery Boyer, the conservative lawmaker who created the bill, argued that any media outlet encouraging extreme weight loss or anorexia, should be punishable in court.
Last week, fashion industry members and lawmakers all signed a charter agreeing to promote healthier body images.
Under the new law, if you are found guilty of “inciting others to deprive themselves of food” to an excessive degree, judges will have the power to imprison or fine offenders up to $47,000. Authorities can also sanction those individuals responsible to magazine photos portraying "excessive thinness."
Some in the fashion industry are strongly opposing the bill, such as Didier Grumbach, president of the influential French Federation of Couture. Rightfully so!
Grumbach said, “Never will we accept in our profession that a judge decides if a young girl is skinny or not skinny. That doesn’t exist in the world, and it will certainly not exist in France.”
This is a troubling and scary issue.
Is the government going too far?
Is the media to blame for anorexia? Is it genetic? What about peer pressure????
So many questions!
[Image via WENN.]
I'm not sure who that is in the picture but it's pretty gross. Like a leathery sack of chicken bones.
So its illegal for me to be me now??? I NATURALLY have a BMI of 18.5. Which is now ILLEGAL. BULLSHIT
There are a lot more people dying of being too fat than too skinny…
SUCH A GOOOOOD IDEA. I'm all for it and I wish they would enforce something of that nature here in america!!!!!!!
Really people, learn how to read. This ban is not on thin people, or even Anorexic people. This ban is put in place to file suit against people and media promoting or aiding an anorexic lifestyle. So basicly it allows legislators to charge the manager that threatens a model with a size 2 to drop two sizes or she'd otherwise be fired. Or the website that gives tips on how you can pretend you're eating but are actually not doing it… Learn to read up on more sources!
This is WAY out of hand. You can't discriminate against someone because of their size! Don't ban the skinny ones, just make sure there's a variety of sizes in mags, ranging from skinny to fat. People come in all shapes and sizes and not putting them in the media doesn't stop them from existing. Other than that, you can't tell people what size they should be just because it's "healthier". Bull shit! How could anyone think this is a good idea? Argh!
I think it´s great.
Thus the fashion designers going to have to think twice before promote extreme thinness.
this is BRILLIANT…not to discourage thinness, but to encourage spotlighting heavy women and men. i do not encourage weight gain or un healthy lifestyles, but i am barely under 200lbs, i run everyday, lift weights, and i am gorgeous.
so lets get some spotlights on the thicks…even if it takes 2 lights at a time!!
#7 - LaaLaa says – reply to this
The entire media and fashion industries created this monster - and it will not go away with legislation. I don't know how you turn this around - on the one hand the models are stick skinny, gross…on the other hand, Americans are getting fatter and fatter. How about healthy, people!
***
I agree, healthy people.
maybe you all should look at how a similar law in spain has worked out and what their results are, then decide if france is right or wrong in doing the same. just do some research.
"Is the media to blame for anorexia?" Yes, yes it is. Guess what–that includes you.
Gratz!
"Valery Boyer, the conservative lawmaker who created the bill, argued that any media outlet encouraging extreme weight loss or anorexia, should be punishable in court." Pay attention to this part people. This is serious! A lot of girls are starving themselves to death due to all the pressure from the media.
Lets face it: nowdays if you are not super skinny you are out!
I think is a good idea! Of course designers are going to be mad: their models wight 80 punds!!! God!
Media, Families who use food as punishment and reward in upbringing and embed the importance of weight into their children.
anorexia is a psychiatric disorder classified in the DSM IV
there has been extensive research to support the notion that ENVIRONMENT–including but not limited to media–plays a large part in manifesting a person's anxieties as an eating disorder.
studies of indigenous populations that have been cut off from the western world have shown a change in their young women's perception of beauty after being exposed to media in the form of magazines, TV, and movies
You apparently don't understand the law. It is aimed mainly at blogs promoting anorexia, and the sectarian movements developed around it.
Some groups manipulate the minds of the young to make them think and say each morning sentences like "you can never be too thin" or "i put thinness before health". Anorexia is a fatal disease , a psychological trauma. The bill is too make sure that such groups do not exist anymore nor are able to cause any harm.
Gosh these groups even tell them what lies to tell to the people around them so that they don't suspect anything.
IT IS NOT AIMED AT THE FASHION INDUSTRY!!!!
for the record, being obese is also a fatal disease.
I think you can see it as a form of good censorship, because these groups are a danger to public health, and cause the death of a lot of people.
And seriously… Too much government control? Who else has the authority to supervise this? Parents? Like they do a lot for teenagers' protection on the web.
Uhh, yea it's the media's fault! And I'm so sick of people saying they are "naturally" THAT skinny. Bullshit. If they are, they need to see a doctor because that's not normal. Being skinny shouldn't shouldn't be glorified in the same respect that being overweight shouldn't. Let's push healthy body images people!
the media went way too far. it's fucked up to make normal people feel bad so that other normal looking people behind the scenes can profit. it's about time someone did something for women instead of trying to shape little girls into anorexic, body dysmorphic, underage porn stars.
For your information, people, the number of anorexic girls/women have multiplied by 4 in 20 years. About 2% of the population now is considered anorexic, and to be considered so, you need to be 15% under your ideal weight.
And the medias ARE TO BLAME. In the Fijdi Islands, about 3% of the population living there was suffering from anorexia in 1995 (the year the television was introduced). 3 years later, it had reached 15% (stats from Anne E. Beker - Massachusetts General hospital).
After 10 years suffering from anorexia, 5 to 15% of anorexics die. After 20 years, it's up to 20%. There is a serious society problem here.
Also, a study has shown that the trend in BMI of Miss America Pageant Winners has decreased from 22 to below 18.
I'm glad to see some people out there caring for our next generations.
I TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THIS BILL. I HOPE AMERICA FOLLOWS!
I am a teenage girl who considers herself to be a libertarian and I fully support minimal government intervention of what a person or organization can or cannot do. Criminalizing the promotion of "extreme thinness" cannot even be effective because it is not something you can really gage. Just because there is a problem, that does not give government a right to make a law about it. It is the responsibility of people in positions of power to become proactive in discouraging attitudes or practices represented by the media that encourage eating disorders.
I can actually say right now that as a 5'7" girl who weighs about 130 pounds and that I am frantically trying to lose last minute pounds to get ready for spring break bikini season. I can say with 100% confidence that if there was a wider range of good bodies that are considered beautiful represented by the entertainment industry and media, I would notfeel this pressure to be very thin.
It is a toigh issue that definitely needs attention but criminalization really is not the answer to anything. As a society, we must work together towards a better idea of what a healthy, beautiful body is.
Just curious, how is this any different from the government banning cigarette commercials from television? How dare the government deem something deleterious and then prevent said thing from being propagated by the media, right? I'm not debating the efficacy of legislature with these issues, I'm just saying its not at all unprecedented and, in my opinion, not such a bad idea.
The woman in the photo could hit the gym and tone up a bit before eating and padding on more weight.
No one wants to buy clothes from nonthin ads or models !
As a law student I could defeat this lawsuit in one word….Ambigious!
Re: bird – Re: britt – mm hmm same here. i hate it. but screw them. if no one can look down on naturally big people stop looking down on the naturally thin.
Re: bird –
I totally agree with you, I'm the same way, and it's very offensive. It's not my fault that I was born with the metabolism of a race horse. When I was in middle school and high school, people who didn't even know me used to ask if I had an eating disorder. Don't pass that kind of judgment on people unless you know them and their eating habits.
of course it is the fucking media.
case in point, stripped from the headlines: "Halle Berry gives herself six weeks to lose baby weight"
are you kidding me? clearly, anorexia is a serious pyschological problem that requires support and therapy, but the media certainly doesn't help any by contributing to such an unhealthy mental environment.
Ana is NOT hereditary, and there is no doubt that seeing skinny models in the media has an effect more so on younger girls, 13 or so. I know too many people with this disease and I think it is a good thing the French Government is taking control of the situation, the same way smoking cannot is not advertised in Canada, at least not at a large noticeable scale. Models represent a very small population in terms of how they look, no girl should feel she needs to look like that to look good in fashion, in fact, the fashion industry should feel they should make clothes that work on girls of all different sizes.
However between this and the size 16 finalist for Miss England I worry that Western culture is getting to acceptive of being fat as more and more people become over weight. I feel that we should be promoting health, and Miss Surry does not look healthy to me.
It will be interesting to see what "too thin" means though. How will they measure? Some girls are just really naturally skinny.
I hear all this crap about "banning" extreme thinness. Are they going to ban extreme obesity? Both are eating disorders? Why are people so negative towards girls with anorexia? Being overweight is as much of an eating disorder as is anorexia.
If they are going to ban skinny girls from appearing on tv (to name one). They should also ban overweight girls too. Or is it Ok to promote being overweight?
Besides, who gets to decide what "extreme" means?
Are you kidding me Perez? How do you promote extreme thinness? Have you never heard of the "Pro-Ana Movement"? Do a google search. It's completely destructive. They wouldn't allow websites that tell people how to cut their wrists effectively, but they allow websites that teach girls how to "become" Anorexic. I'm speaking FIRSTHAND from the damages that I've incurred over the years to my body by getting sucked into these sites. People don't wanna listen, NOBODY IS SAYING YOU CAN'T BE THIN & BE A MODEL. They are saying you should not be emacited. Medically speaking, you cannot be naturally emaciated. A naturally thin woman has a BMI of 18.5 or above, it's just fact. When you dip below 18.5 it is because you are not eating enough or restricting. There is no such thing as a normal thin women who is emaciated, it does not occur. People need to stop getting so riled up, like a lot of people on this post. Nobody is saying you are Anorexic simply because you are thin. Someone is Anorexic because they are Anorexic, it is that simple. This law is ideal. Anybody who's lived w/ ED understands it. You don't learn tricks to starve yourself from nowhere, you read about them in magazines or online. Will this law get passed? Not likely. But what matters is that the issues are FINALLY being raised & awareness is getting higher & higher.
"How do you PROMOTE extreme thinness???"? c'mon, perez. you're smarter than that
I have no problem with modeling agencies and magazines and advertising agencies not being allowed to use models that are too thin. Right now, they won't use models that are too heavy (even if "too heavy" is a healthy size 5 or 7). If they can choose to turn down "too heavy" models, then they should also be allowed to turn down "too thin" models. All they have to do is go by BMI like Brazil did. This helps to not turn girls into anorexics.
I have been suffering from an eating disorder, and although through treatment I am doing much better, the media plays a HUGE role in the way I perceive my body and my ideas of what skinny really are. It's sad to think that young girls look up to these too-thin models, actresses, singers, etc. and that the media is promoting it as "hot" and "sexy". This isn't to say that naturally thin girl's are bad, they can be very healthy, but there is a difference between a girl that is "naturally thin" and a girl that is pure bones and is on a diet coke diet. I like how Italy will not let models walk unless they have a bmi of 18 or higher. This means that a model that is 5 foot 9 inches tall must weigh at least 122 pounds. And that is STILL way too thin.
I was anorexic for a few years. I think its genetic, it runs threw my whole fam. The thin is, we need to set a standard not just for these girls but our little girls. Asking someone to be "not dangerously thin" in order to protect them both is not ridiculous. Its not like they are even asking them to be in a HEALTHY weight range, just not starving to death. If I had my way they would log all the weights and heights of the girls. Too thin? you don't walk. Anorexia is serious, dangerous and for these girls uncontrollable. SAD
I think this is great! Of course the media is to blame. Nobody had all these pressures to be thin and distorted body image issues until fashion decided skinny was "in" years ago. Before then, it was considered sexy and beautiful for a woman to be full figured and pale; now look at us. We are screwed up. Famous models and actresses only become famous if they are so thin they need feeding tubes. Any heavier then that and you can't get a job. I applaud the French for their decision.
BAD IDEA! They (and we) don't need the gov't anymore involved than it already is. Plus…will fat people just get over it already?
says, This is awesome. Too thin images effect society negatively and France just acknowledged it. Kudos to France. Not only are they cracking down on the terrible influence that this kind of imaging has on young people (and old people too probably), but also, and almost more importantly, they are opening up the door to accountability of influence. By this I mean, accountability for the effect that someone has on culture as a whole. Which is awesome. I wish that america would follow suit not only by banning negative body image influences (like perez) but also by banning things like video games which obviously increase destructive tendencies in youths. And many other very negative things in our society. Maybe reality T.V. in it's current conception might go. Who knows what wonderful doors may open in the future concerning the influence of the media. Thank God someone is trying to keep this lawlessness accountable. YAY FRANCE!!
I have to say this about Perez, and if he reads this, please listen.
Everytime an actress speaks out, talking about how she's anorexic/starving herself/not eating right, Perez puts up a sympathetic note telling her to eat and stuff like that.
HOWEVER, sometimes when a celebrity appears less than skinny, we get "she might be pregnant!"
Seriously.
Please, omly fat people would support that crap.
Shut up fatties and stop eating
and Perez you make Angelina into a saint, talk about anorexic mess. She needs serious psychiatric help and you celebrate her. Maybe you are part of the problem with the media and their obsession with thinness.
This is so scary. A state-sanctioned discrimination against thin people with popular support in France??? This is the logical conclusion of a generation of political correctness and glamorous victimization being manufactured in fashionable universities and talk shows. The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions. This is a scary reminder that we have to stick to principles instead of fads in pop-activism.
puhleeze…
Eating disorders are obsessive-compulsive behaviors that are the result of past abuses and traumas. Though the media may add to this disease, it is not the cause. Childhood molestation is a cause, or the death of a loved one. The OCD behaviors serve as a distraction from all the hurt and depression.
Im in the middle of writing a research paper on how the media affects one's body image. If you ask me YES the media has a lot to do with it! Look at all the covers of magazine, the runways, the tv actresses. The media portrays these women as having the perfect body when in fact they are so unhealthy. And peer pressure comes from wanting to look like that. Its sick and I for one am glad to see that someone is trying to do something to stop it!
peer pressure? wtf? anorexia isn't like trying pot for the first time. it's a very very complicated mental disorder that (the opposers of the bill still have to acknowlege) is definitely influenced by the media and the fashion industry. The government can try to pass as many laws about it as they want, but
THE REAL RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH THE CONSUMER
Don't buy magazines or clothes from companies that promote thinness.
Protest with your money!
government is going way too far. you cannot hold these people responsible for portraying their ART the way they want to. thats fucked up and unfair. what they SHOULD be doing is promoting EATING in france, or have them add healthy food articles within the magazine, on billboards etc. Just simply outlawing it is fucking government wanting control. bullshit.
It was about FUCKING TIME!!!!!!!
"omg i hate being told to eat! i am soooo skinny why won't ppl just deal with it?"
i hate you all
Re: caroline – A few inconsistencies in what you say. I may mention them in a list at the end. I want to point out that in westernizing the globe, (this is when the media and western methods are introduced into non-western cultures which are typically more traditional) we can see the effects of mediazation or exposure to american type media. The effect is a huge increase in low self-esteem and a dramatic increase in anorexia.
We see a direct link between media and a huge problem within our community. The media is causing an epidemic disorder. (One may be genetically prone to certain disorders, but we see that where-ever our media proliferates so does anorexia and unrealistic body fantasies). This problem has to be dealt with.
The government is part of our community. It isn't an outsider, at least not in democratic nations. And hopefully the leaders of a nation haven't been bought by private interests. By adopting this ban, France is showing that it is willing to go against some very successful industry interests.
Hmmmm. This is way too weird.
Eating Disorders are psychological disorders. The same as drinking, smoking crack, smoking cigarettes, or overeating until you become obese. The bottom line is is that this is a method of blunting pain. To assign blame on media influences is futile. Individually, we all decide how we wish to cope.
Quite frankly, I am shocked by this decision. Noone is addressing the root cause of why people starve, overeat, etc. And, personally, I do not want to see clothing modelled on overweight people. Aesthetically, that does not appeal to me.
Re: caroline – (Continued)
In conclusion, I've shown that there is a direct link between the media and anorexia. Anorexia is a harmful psychological disorder that is being spread by the media. Government intervention is the best way to combat it. When someone physically harms another person, the government intervenes. This is another instance of one entity harming another. Media effects us. And that effect should be positive.
Government is part of our community. So is the media. I wish they all behaved as though they were responsible (in part) for the things that happen within society.
stay peaceful.
if you were being robbed, you would want to government to intervene. If you were being psychologically harmed (as hitler did to his people), you would want the government to intervene. Now that we see that there are aspects of the media that are harmful, do we really have any reason to want the government to ignore the entity which is obviously hurting people. The government is part of the community, it should act as a solution. Is there anything else that should (or could) intervene of this level? Please respond. I want to know, because I don't think there is one.
There is not a woman alive and honest who at some point has not been affected by the culture of thin that is promoted by magazines and the fashion industry. That said, come on! You can not enforce common sense. Parents have a role in promoting a healthy self image and explaining how what you see in the glossies is not real life. Get a photoshop program and you too can look like a model. An awful lot of the models are downrite homely without makeup, lighting and photoshopping.
Re: Lolita B. – Finally someone has a brain on this site, thank you for your post…maybe if Bird, Britt, Katherine & Barbara stopped making this ABOUT THEM, then they would understand that is about Government Regulating an Industry-happens all the f–kin time you self absorbed twits. (ever notice how skinny chicks just love telling the whole world how skinny they are?) For example, in CA we have the Department of Insurance which regulates the Insurance Industry…know one is going to arrest you so called skinny bitches…IF an industry is promoting dangerous health practices, then they need to be regulated. I see their promotion of thinness as an attack or shaming to all women. Women feel pressure from every angle to look and act a certain way, especially Perez, he doesn't think women should age, look their age, not look their age depending on his fragile mood swings. Enough of shaming women. The French even told the US they would not support an War against Iraq, because we HAD NO EXIT STRATEGY- they were right, we don't!!! The French are right on target and the USA should listen to them this time.
The French are just idiots. They think they can regulate every behavior there is. Pretty soon they will outlaw what you eat and where/when you can go. They prosecuted Bridget Bardot (ok, you younguns probably don't know her) for publicly expressing her opinion about the Islamic religion. She's against it by the way…. Anyway, they said she was "inciting racial hatred" for stating, "the Muslim community was "destroying our country and imposing its acts." Ridiculous!!!!! I thought the U.S. was bad about passing laws restricting our freedoms! Screw the French!!!
Re: future psychologist – I don't think you should be a psychologist. You didn't even mention the connection between mainstream media and anorexia, when we clearly see that every where that has mainstream media introduced to its society starts developing a serious anorexia epidemic. I don't know where you are in grad school, but consider being a more empathetic psychiatrist or seeking some other job. I am sure you are talented enough to make money at something. But your heart doesn't seem in this. I've seen a lot of psychiatrists and there is nothing worse than someone who isn't devoted to their profession. You may do more harm than good.
it's about damn time. too many girls have suffered and we need to do something about it.
i guess if fashion ads cant be in newspapers or magazines they'll eventually have to hire healthier-looking models..thats a step towards improvement!
Uh no. That's going way, way too far. How is it that a government should have the right to tell us how our body should look? Tres mal! This is facisum, disguised as "help".
That's how all dictatorships start. Bad move, France.
that wrinkly old bitch looks like fergie
Are you a moron Perez?? Anorexia has absolutely NOTHING to do with genetics. It has been on the rise in the last several decades due to social and cultural factors, not because the human gene pool is changing. And yes, the media definitely has a role to play, as does the fashion industry, as do a myriad of other factors which have led to the societal expectation for women (especially) to fit a body type mold.
As for the "naturally thin" argument - yes, some people are naturally thin. But there is a very real and very recognizable difference between naturally thin and healthy, and dangerously dieting to be thin and on the verge of death. See, for instance, Nicole Richie vs. Paris Hilton.
I have struggled with eating disorders growing up, and it does run in my family. I know super skinny models are not good influences on people, but this is ridiculous. Why is it that plus sized models are praised for accepting their unhealthy bodies? It does not make sense. Sadly, there are young people that die from extreme thinness. However, many more people live much shorter lives because of the results of obesity. I wish unrealistic beauty was not so beautiful in our society. Too many young people, including myself, have worried about their appearance. It is just unfair. You can take care of yourself by exercising, eating when you're hungry, personal hygiene, and creating your style, but the genes you are given are yours. I realize now that famous, old line is ultimately true; "It's what's on the inside that counts!"
This is GREAT! It's not too much gov't control at all; in fact it's time they stepped in and said something! The media is to blame for eating disorders–them and the actresses and models who know that millions of young people look up to them yet are skinny and always talking about diets and plastic surgery and crap like that.
This is a good idea and a step in the right direction. as a recovering anorexic i can tell you perez that yes the media has extremly powerful effect on young girls perception of what they should look like. it also seems like a very big problem in france if 30-40,000 people suffer from it. anorexia almost cost me my life and has cost many many many others their's. i hope we can follow in france's footsteps here in usa.
Re: Suzzi – no one WANTS to get fatter if they develope an over-eating disorder. if anything seeing images of obese people would encourage people to be more healthy. however with eating disorders, the goal is to become as thin as possible and images of extremely thin people who are being tagged as "the beautiful" within society make some people feel inadequate and as a result, they put all their efforts towards not eating and losing weight
yeah it should be wrong to promote being so thin. Yes, there are people who are naturally thin, but that should not be the only "beauty" image advertised. And yes, I think media has something to do….or at least the fasion industry….because let's face ti women in show bussiness use to have curves…. I mean the super beautiful Marilyn would be next to Jennifer love in the "fatty list"
while i'm not sure that eating disorders are actually *linked* to images of thin women/men in the media, i think increasing the size and showcasing a range of body types would be a fabulous thing for increasing women's self-esteem. go team france!
re: #5 bird
I was stick thin until i was 17 and people always told me to eat. It didn't make me feel good either and i wished i had curves and wasn't so skinny. I've put on weight since and while i'm still healthy, I'm insecure about being called fat. And trust me, it's worse to be called fat than to be told to "eat." Skinny people have enough idols to look up to in the fashion and movie industry. it's the healthier weight and plus size people who need positive role models. The media represents stick thin all the time, and girls run around saying they wish they were skinny. But fat people are condemned. So don't try to tell us that sjinny people have it as hard as fat people. According to our society, especially the media, being fat is the worst thing a girl can be.
check out that side boob
i'm french and i know that in my country if you need help, the government helps you. if you're sick, unemployed, divorced, young, old or simply sad. there is associations, social security and so much more. you live in a country where you don't know what can happens to you tommorow. you can be rich but also a homeless. in france, yes there is a very important government control but you're never left outside alone with your problems. watch m.moore's sicko and you'll see. everybody in france can studies and it's free, i paid 100$ to go to university and you? i have a 4000$ bourse/year and it's not the bigger!! and you? when i'm going to G.P i pay 0.5$ and the rest it's repaid by the state!! and you? when you're a student you can go on holidays in europe with your class, or ski for less than 800$. my state pays 50% of my transport network card. yes, taxes are very important but don't you think that it's more important to help your people? to know that when you'll need help, there is somebody? what much can i say, my government cares about me, i have this feeling, people are united. i don't know, perhaps im an assited but don't forget that france is the 5th economical power in the world and that there in less inequalities than in USA. i love USA but i think that solidarity is very important, just come to live in france, even if you're a foreigner and you have an accident you come to hospital and you pay: NOTHING
Re: awesome awesome awesome – i completely agree with you that there is a direct link between anorexia and the media. i dont know the french constitution or how the exact structure of the french government but but don't private organizations have a right to freedom of speech? if i want to say that i think very thin bodies are better looking than healthy, normal bodies(i dont think this btw) what gives government the right to make me a criminal for this? while government has a certain obligation to protect it's citizens, i just don't think that making it a criminal issue is the right approach. instead of just saying "well the media makes people anorexic, lets make a law against it!" how about "okay, what can we do to raise awareness about this disease?" i am just strongly against paternalistic laws because in the end, we are all responsible for ourselves. there are outside forces that influence us, but everyone needs to take initiative to become informed and make decisions for themselves. the government doesn't have a right to make laws about how people live their lives or what they say about body images. i have a feeling that you are a little bit more into big government than i am so we probably won't come to an agreement but thank you for addressing my initial post
I applaud the intention but I'm not sure how easy it would be to fine or imprison people who set up pro-anorexia websites (for instance). I think it's pretty sad how some girls and women are conned into depriving themselves of food to conform to a certain image that has nothing to do with womanhood. These women who starve themselves to maintain an adolescent body have a huge self-esteem problem. They refuse to be women really. Where are all the feminist gains of earlier years? Young girls and even adult women have bought into this tinsel-covered "girl empowerment" fiction where females must be skinny, have big fake breasts, wear revealing clothing and pretend to like engaging in whatever sex acts guys demand. Women need to stop taking fashion gurus and sexist fads so seriously and be women with womanly bodies.
that is absolutely ridiculous. the government is definitely going too far. What about those who are thin but don't have a choice? A lot of it is genetic. We're headed for a world where being skinny will be the new fat and people will scorn thin people. This is quite disturbing.
There are 7 million obese people in France, compared to 30,000 with anorexia. This is by far a bigger (pun intended) public health issue for the government to address than banning promotion of skinny women.
Well God knows I'm not responsible for my own behavior.
-and you can't MAKE me!
Obesity is a bigger epidemic than anorexia. Why not make laws against that body image as well?
The French are a bunch of douchebags! They are trying to control women like crazy like they're their property or something. First they ban Muslim women from freedom of choice by wearing headscarves!!!! totally ludicrous to ban something so harmless and now they're trying to control this?! This isn't going to help society.
Hopefully it will scare people and cause them to start turning away girls that are "too thin". I would like to see curvier girls on the runways.
That is just ridiculous! Nobody thinks pro-ana websites are good, but is possible, just possible that people that buy into that may have other issues?? I mean really, what is wrong with being thin? And where do you draw the line between thin and too thin. Some people are naturally very thin, so now they can be persecuted or anyone that tells them they look good can be persecuted? Some men like bigger women, and, some men like thinner women, but apparently if the govt decides a person likes someone too thin they can fine you???? WTF?
In general, I respect and admire Europe as more progressive and socially minded in their laws, but this just makes me lose some respect. If someone is starving themselves, its not the fault of a website or a fashion designer, its that they have deep-seated emotional issues and this is how they are coming out (as opposed to other common ways these things manifest like alcoholism, drug addiction and overeating.)
Following this law to its logical conclusion, people who encourage drinking should be arrested too since the media glorifies it and makes it cool and people die from overindulging.
Re: Jane – oh really, so it's ok to spread hate like that? Just because you may not agree with a religion doesn't give you the excuse to hate them? and btw the French Muslims were brought over there as cheap labor during WWII, like the way Africans were brought over here for slavery. so how about you think about what the hell you say before you start yapping like a dog.
Geez, people should FUCKING learn how to READ.
This bill is NOT AGAINST THIN PEOPLE, dumbasses. It's AGAINT PRO-ANA WEBSITES that tell you no man is ever going to be attracted to you if your ribs aren't showing. And if you're thinking "she's making things up, she didn't read that, she's exaggerating", then I'll say I have not. I've been to pro-ana websites, I've read what they say and they're basically advocating young impresionnable teenagers to starve themselves.
So if a bill is put in place to remove such websites, then I say that's fine by me.
All the dumbasses who say it's against thinness can't FREAKING READ.
This bill is NOT meant for anorexic people themselves. It's NOT meant to put THEM in prison or give THEM a fine. It's meant for websites (mostly) that PROMOTES extreme thinness to the point of endangering the lives of young women.
Sometimes I really think people can't read, and they're just coming here to look at the pretty images…
I think it's a great idea. I'm sick of looking in magazines and one day they're calling a celebrity fat or "pregnant" and the next issue they're wondering why they're becoming anorexic. No wonder so many young people are ultra paranoid about losing weight
I applaud France. Finally they are doing something about what people instinsically have known for years - that the media DOES have an impact on women's self esteem resulting in body image issues. I have had an eating disorder myself that I have beaten. This required me to not watch tv and read magazines for a while as they contributed to my low self esteem and fulled my nagative thoughts. If you look at magazines they feature predominantly skinny women in gowns described as 'stunning'. They all look the same really - keep the same body just swap the heads. There's no individuality. I think obese people just 'give up' when they see these (s)ads/pictures. I remember a guy telling me that the media tells men what to find attractive. Most people want what is desired so they can show off to their friends/increase their self esteem etc so what is in the media is the universal standards they want. People feel that if they gain weight then they are 'lesser' than their skinny peers because of what is lauded in the media. This is CRAP. People shouldn't need to be stick/have plastic surgery/wear shitloads of makeup/fancy clothes all the time to be described as beautiful. All the really beautiful people I have known shun this image. They condemn it as 'boring' and 'superficual' and I agree. Perez stop being so vacuous.
Re: completey appaled –
and you are COMPLETELY ignorant when it comes to eating disorders. You've OBVIOUSLY never suffered from one. It is a living hell. And believe me when I tell you, the media does play a large role in the growing cases of eating disorders. It is a mental disorder, and it's all about a person feeling that he or she needs to achieve perfection. Who in this world do people generally look up to? Who do we generally think is "perfect"? The actors and models who make millions and millions of dollars, mostly (in the models cases) just because of their "perfect" bodies. It's the image and message that's being promoted here: skinny is perfection. Now most of the population doesn't go to extreme measures to try and achieve the perfect body, but for those who do, the images in the media help add fuel to the fire. The actions that start an eating disorder are an individuals decision, in a way, but it spirals out of control and becomes almost unstoppable. It's very difficult to overcome an eating disorder when the portrayal of "skinny is perfect" is EVERYWHERE and still being shoved down the publics throat.
sKINNY BITCHES are EVIL!!!
AND gross. ICK!
ESpeccially that SKINTY BITCH in that pic.
they all have B.O.
Re: discoho – Yeah, what don't you understand about that……Young girls suffer from poor body image becasue the "standard" that is seen in magazines is unrealistic
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some people are BORN skinny.
like me.
i am 5'7” and 105 lbs and there is nothing i can do about it!
i eat McDonald's like daily and i am still no where close to being fat!
so basically, its a shiteous idea because some people are not influenced and are just born that way.
the end : )
this is stupid. Fashion doesn't make people ana. it's a mental issue with physical effects NOT the other way round. Plus as a naturally thin girl I find it really hurtful that people thinks its ok to call me ana and tell me to eat (Which I do) eat for me to tell a fat person that they way their body is, is 'unhealthy' 'killing yourself' or 'a bad example to others' would be totally unacceptable. Why is it ok for people to come in all different shapes and sizes as long as it's short, fat or 'normal' but being tall and thin is unhealthy and unnatural. WTF?
sweet. Its about time!
It's all about the money! Make us feel worthless by showing impossible ideals that sell clothes, diet aids, beauty products, and magazines, then write articles about being shocked, shocked! that readers are anorexic and bulimic.
How about, since it's still all about the money, selling us healthy food and bodies? Super size sugary drinks and burgers are killing millions. I knew in 4th grade that the one overweight girl in our class, back when that was unusual, just ate too much…..I was given one 8 oz. bottle of soda a week…..that's right, not more than one a week. I started anorexia/bulimia in college after the "freshman 15" and reading fashion magazines. There's a sick feeling of power in being really bony, but friends said I looked scary. It took years to get over "body dysmorphia", the "I'm so fat" syndrome. Get help at one of the websites for helping, not supporting eating disorders if you have a problem. Exercise moderately, and eat less, get counseling if you are really overweight.
if the French are so worried about preventing deaths from unhealthy lifestyles and portrayal then why dont they BAN SMOKING
It's great to see a whole country take on this issue, but I think France is going about it the wrong way. This ban is an invasion of privacy. I wish I could think of a better way to tackle this issue. In America, we have Health programs that teach kids about the dangerous of anorexia, but they don't seem to be doing much good. Every other person you see on TV is underweight. But if you ban programs that feature and encourage anorexics, you're violating Freedom of Speech/Religion/Press. I know nothing about French politics, but I'm sure the French would very much like to keep their own Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and Press.
EAT A CHEESEBURGER PLEASE!!!! tiffabee.wordpress.com
i just puked up dinner!
they did the same thing with cigarette ads. if you can't show people smoking (which is bad for their health) why show emaciated people in a ploy to sell clothes? i think it's a great idea and wish the us would do something along those lines. there is a degree between "naturally thin" and "unhealthy thin".
I don't know the details of this, but in theory it is a good idea for someone to regulate what's being presented in the media.
Of course, it would be better to raise media-literate kids, and teach young kids how to navigate and think critically about media messages. But this is a start, and it's acknowledging that the media is an unavoidable part of today's society and culture.
It's a start, I guess.
Interesting how defensive the fashion industry gets.
There goes Vanessa Paradis' career.
She still has Johnny though….Take that skinny bitch!
I think it's great that a whole country is trying to tackle this issue, but I think France is going about in the wrong way. Telling people they cannot go out in public because they don't look the "right" way is a total invasion of privacy. I wish I could think of a good compromise for this problem, but I can't. In America, we have Health programs that teach kids about the dangers of eating disorders, but they must not be doing that great of a job because we still have a major problem with eating disorders also.
Good Day,
Perez, you seem quite the hypocrite. In one post you say women should not be too thin and then here you support it? What gives?
Steelie
Duh. No extremely thin models. Like Cokate Moss and basically everyone else.
they are NOT banning anorexia or how thin you can be…they ARE banning PROMOTION of EXTREME thinness…key word *PROMOTION*