Last 17th December was approved from the French National Assemblee the law on health that tries to reduce with severe penalties the anorexia that affects models.
Requested by the social deputy Oliver Veran and sustained by the minister of health Mariesol Touranie, the law demands that the models applying for a job in France, have to show a medical certificate affirming that they have a good health and their seize is more or equal to the ones required by BMI (body mass index) which indicates the relation between height and weight. So as a consequence, only models with an index of 18 BMI, which is 5’74 and 121lb, will have the chance to walk the catwalk.
On the contrary, the person who will not follow this rules, being it either the brand house or the model agency, will have to pay a fine of 75 thousand Euros. Moreover, the French law does concern also photographers who retouch the photos of the models: in fact, if they do not declare it was retouched, they will have a fine of 37 thousand Euros.
Although, this French law is not a novelty, since Italy, Spain and Israel have done something to prevent this phenomenon.
In Italy, in fact in 2007, the ex minister Giovanna Melandri signed a code of rules which forbid the models who are under the legal age and with eating disorders, to walk the carpet; in Spain, on the other side, Zapatero’s government abolished size XXS for adult women. Last, Israel, for Telaviv Fashion Week, from 2013 has forbidden every model with a less than 18.5 BMI on the carpet and in photo.
So far so good, but here is the trick. Who is the person who certifies the BMI? French doctors or doctors from separate countries. What happens if stylists do not engage them? Even though now we cannot know, a ministerial directive has declared that all the guidelines will be sent for the actuation of the law.
However, what has the attention of everyone is the second question I mentioned: what happens if the stylists, that have a brand in France or strut in Paris, do not accept anymore models with the size required from the new law?
Do not forget that the power in the fashion world, as regards the models, is held by the stylists who, through the model agencies, book the mannequin for a shooting, a catwalk or an ad campaign. If to them this is not good, they call other agencies. So, it might happen that the models in right terms with the new law will not work anymore.
Perhaps, as I question it, it would be better to take actions against the seize of collection of samples, wore by the models during the parades, editorials and ad campaigns. Doing this, in fact, stylist would be obliged to produce clothes with bigger size, requiring the models and to the system to adjust to the new rules on the production of samples, without damaging the model’s job.
One flaw for this law is not be concerned of the internationality of the job of the models, who are mostly foreign. In addition, we should take into account that, as WWD Sylvie Zawadzki, legal of the Chambre National de la Mode e de la Couture Parisienne (National Chamber of Fashion), said “the model job in France is already legalized. The same model agencies, in order to open, must have an authorization of the prefect and the models themselves are employee of the agencies”.
So I may ask, this law is a medium for publicity or an attempt (a wrong one) to do well?