Israel Bans Underweight Models For The Sake Of Your Daughter

The modeling and entertainment industry may be so seedy and vile that many parents may not want their kids even finding role models in show business. But considering how much media children consume these days, images and messages are powerful whether your kid is ingesting countless hours of America’s Next Top Model or not. So when someone high up in the industry makes a decision acknowledging said influence, it often seeks to benefit every child who will eventually navigate our media-infused times. That’s why parents should be thrilled that Israel set a law this week banning underweight models from runways or commercials.

The law also demands that advertisers explicitly state when an image has been photoshopped to make the model look thinner so that children have a genuine idea of what they’re looking at. Lawmakers added that models who “appear underweight” are also banned, which is a gray area for sure. But regardless of appearance, all models must have a doctor’s note confirming that they are not underweight and have a BMI of no less than 18.5.

Reuters reports that this law was absolutely put into place for the well-being and development of children:

Rachel Adato, one of the lawmakers who pushed the bill, said ahead of the vote she hoped the law would protect youth from pursuing unattainable ideals of beauty. “Beautiful is not underweight, beautiful should not be anorexic,” she said.

We’ve seen similar efforts from professionals in the industry, such as when Vogue Italia pulled those infamous pictures of Karlie Kloss after they started popping up on thinspiration sites. English schools are also making an effort to teach children about airbrushing in the classroom to aide them as they confront countless photoshopped images. All roads lead back to empowering kids to more accurately understand the warped media around them.

(photo: altafulla/Shutterstock)