France Considers Passing A Bill Banning Super-Skinny Models

But what exactly qualifies as "too thin"? According to Health Minister Marisol Touraine, models would have to present a medical certificate showing a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18, which is about 121 pounds for a height of 5 feet 7 inches, in order to book a job. Now I am 5'7" tall and weigh 120 lbs and models are WAY thinner that I am, so I would be surprised to see this work. "This is an important message to young women, young women who see these models as an aesthetic ideal," Touraine told BFM TV. "It's important for fashion models to say that they need to eat well and take care of their health."   The bill would also penalize pro-anorexia websites that glorify unhealthy lifestyles. This move seems to honor French model Isabelle Caro who died of anorexia in 2010. Prior to her death, Caro had been featured in a shocking ad campaign promoting anorexia awareness, which was strongly supported by the Italian health minister at the time. With the popularity of the body image movement in the past year, high fashion has started embracing fuller-figured models. Continuing legislation could mean that unattainable beauty standards will soon be so out of fashion, they're illegal. I have to agree that there has been big strides toward more real and positive body images in the past year. Ensuring that models are in fact role models - meaning they have to actually eat well and take care of their own health is fantastic IMO. I too like the message it sends to adolescent women - and just women in general. I don't know about you, but I often prefer the more fit models (like the ones we see here on bodyrock.tv) than the super skinny ones in magazines. I am not sure how they are going to enforce this new law, but I am interested in seeing how it plays out. Photo Credit: Getty Images