Israeli Government Bans Ultra-thin Models
Israel Bans Ultra-skinny Models New legislation makes it illegal to use extremely thin models in Israeli advertising. The Israeli government has passed legislation which bans the display of underweight models in Israeli advertising, Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia affect a growing number of Israeli girls in young women between the age of 12 and 20. Surveys conducted in the country showed the a large number of girls believed they were overweight when they were at a healthy weight or underweight. Advertisers will no longer be able to use ultra-skinny models and must disclose any type of photo manipulation use to make the girls appear thinner than they really are. Models will now have to present a recent medical from their health care provider stating that they are not malnourished by the World Health Organization. The paperwork must be presented at any modeling job where the advertisement will be viewed in Israel. Models working on media shown outside of Israel will not have to follow the new guidelines. The new legislation may be used as a framework to create news laws in other countries that are concerned about the image portrayed by extremely skinny models. In 2006 the Spanish Association of Fashion Designers banned emaciated looking models from their runway shows. .