In the lead up to Autumn Winter 2013 fashion month, (I know I know, we’re barely done with this winter!) a law banning models that are classed as unhealthily thin has come into effect in Israel.
Banning any model who has a low body mass index (BMI) from being used in advertising and campaigns as well as providing medical proof of their weight at castings, the new legislation is hoped to have a knock-on effect and be adopted into other countries. The body mass index is a calculation based on height and weight, that has been used over the last few years, to create a scale of which any figure of less than 18.5 is considered underweight, between 18.5–24.9 is normal, 25–29.9 is overweight and over 30 is classed as obese.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Israeli law also forces both brands and publications to flag up instances when images have been manipulated to make the model appear thinner than they actually are.
Perfectly fitting with the Strong Is The New Skinny ethos for 2013, we’re hoping it won’t be long until others follow Israel’s lead.