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Israel Law Against Anorexic Models Goes Into Effect

Israel Law Against Anorexic Models – The Jerusalem Post reports a new law which will ban models with a body mass index below 18.5 from runways and all media.

The law affects male and female models currently working in Israel. In addition the law also dictates the use of photoshop on models. If you make the model look like she is under a BMI of 18.5 they must state it on the advertisement.

This is the first time we have seen a law passed that will directly influence what people, and most importantly, children see in the media. When PLUS Model Magazine posted our feature “Plus Size Bodies, What Is Wrong With Them Anyway?” – the response was felt world-wide because this is not a problem only in the U.S. but all over the globe.

There are women and men starving themselves in the modeling industry for the sake of fashion. Who is responsible?  No-one wants to take the blame and no-one wants to take the responsibility of fixing the issue. We need a law like this passed universally in order to stop this epidemic.

The epidemic of unhealthy people is not about being FAT, it’s about being unhealthy period!

Why do we need laws like this? Here are just a few statistics provided by RaderPrograms.com.

  • Vogue magazine stated that they chose Gisele Bunchen as their “model of the year” due, in part, to the fact that she deviates from the typical “rail thin” image. In fact, Gisele weighs only 115 lbs. and is 5’11 – 25% below her ideal weight.
  • At 5’7 and 95 lbs. Kate Moss is 30% below her ideal weight.
  • Fashion models’ weight averaged only 8% less than the average women 20 years ago. Today the average fashion model weighs 23% less than the average woman.

And if you think the media does not influence people of all ages, think again. It could be happening in your own family or social circles.

Check out these horrifying statistics by RaderPrograms.com

– 73% of teenage girls who abuse diet pills and 79% of teenage girls who self-purge frequently read women’s fitness and health magazines.

– 9/10 of girls who are high school juniors and seniors diet while only 1/10 of high school girls are overweight.

– The diet and diet-related product industry boasts annual revenues of $33 billion.

– Adolescent girls are more afraid of gaining weight than getting cancer, losing their parents or nuclear war.

What can we do to help make a change?

1) We must ask magazines to stop working with models who are painfully thin and show more diversity (plus size models). Send emails, messages on FB and twitter – if the message comes in from enough people, they will listen!

2) We must take it straight to the designers! Use social media to reach out to designers and fashion stores who use “unhealthy” looking models.

3) MONEY TALKS!!! Stop shopping the brands/designers who do not support your views on this matter. In the end it’s about dollars and the one’s in control are the consumers. Yes, YOU are in control here!!