The French parliament has passed a bill making it illegal to promote extreme thinness. If approved by the Senate, those found to have incited anorexia could face up to three years in prison and fines of up to 45,000 euros.
The draft law targets websites and publications glamourising extreme thinness and encouraging severe loss of weight. It could also affect the fashion industry and magazines which publish photographs of extremely thin models. Conservative lawmaker Valery Boyer, who drafted the bill, says she was focusing on women's health, though the bill applies to models of both sexes. Doctors and psychologists have welcomed the government's efforts to fight self-inflicted starvation. Critics say the bill doesn’t even define ‘extreme thinness’.