France's lawmakers sanction clinical examinations in fight against too-thin models

Two decrees published on Friday on France's Official Gazette make it a legal requirement for fashion models to be issued with an occupational health certificate in order to work, and pictures in which their bodies have been retouched will have to state so. The measures are designed to "prevent eating disorders", especially among young people.

From 1st October, "it will be mandatory for pictures used for commercial purposes to carry the `re-touched picture´ mention if a model's physical appearance has been modified, whether fleshed out or made thinner, by means of an image editing software," wrote the French Health Ministry in a press release.

The obligation concerns pictures "that are included in advertising messages" in the press, on posters, on the web and also in catalogues and brochures, added the decree.

As for a model’s health certificate, another decree published on Friday indicated that it will be issued by occupational health physicians, "as part of information and prevention examinations, or of medical fitness tests," as required by existing employment legislation.

The certificate will be valid for up to two years and will attest that "the person's overall health (...), evaluated specifically in terms of their body mass index, allows them to carry out the job of fashion model."

This measure will come into effect on Saturday, and is also applicable to models from other countries of the European Economic Area who come to work in France.

"The industry was involved in the drawing up of these decrees, and was therefore informed in advance," said the Ministry.

According to the World Health Organisation, a person is classified as thin if their body mass index (BMI), based on the ratio between weight and height, is below 18.5.

The two decrees "aim to have an effect on public perceptions of the human body, to avoid promoting ideals of beauty that are unattainable and prevent anorexia in young people," as well as to "protect the health of a section of the population which is especially exposed to this risk: fashion models," stated the Ministry.

The laws were included in France’s Health bill approved in January 2016, but their respective implementation decrees had not yet been published.

The bill initially set a minimum BMI value needed to work as a fashion model, but was later modified to let occupational health doctors have their say and broaden the test to include other parameters.

Eating disorders affect approximately 600,000 young men and women in France alone (40,000 of whom are anorexic), and are the second cause of mortality in 15-24 year-olds after road accidents.

In other countries, Madrid was the first European fashion capital to adopt similar measures. From September 2006, models with a BMI of 18 or less were prevented from showing on the Pasarela Cibeles, Madrid's premier fashion event.

In Israel, the so-called Photoshop bill, passed in 2012, forbids advertisements featuring models who appear to be too thin, forbids modelling to people with a BMI lower than 18.5 and also the use of re-touching software to make models appear thinner than they are, without stating so.

Italy, Chile and Belgium have also adopted similar rules or legislation.