In contradistinction to the recent passage and proposal of a slew of stupid laws, the Knesset actually passed some good legislation! The law bans the use of models with a BMI below 18.5 in commercial advertisements. Furthermore, any ad in which airbrushing, computer editing or any other form PhotoShop editing is used to create a slimmer image for a model must now clearly state that fact.

Knesset Member Rachel Adatto (Kadima), who submitted the bill along with MK Danny Danon (Likud), said “today the plenum started a revolution in the way beauty is perceived in Israel. This law shatters the ideal of anorexic beauty, which served as a model for the country’s young people, who tried to imitate this impossible illusion and suffered from eating disorders as a result.

Danon added that the law conveys a clear message to modeling agencies and their clients that “life is more important than money.” He has been apparently approached by members of the US Congress interested in proposing a similar law. So… soon by you? Will Israeli models now be rushing to their local shwarma joint in the hopes of getting their BMI up so that they can continue working? I don’t know – most of the top Israeli models are not what I would call skeletal – Bar Refaeli seems pretty healthy looking for instance, as do the rest of her cohort.

But this seems like the first volley in a welcome assault on anorexia. Next the Knesset will be considering a measure to enable doctors to involuntarily hospitalize patients suffering from anorexia in cases where their lives are in imminent and immediate danger. Current regulations are difficult to implement as the notion of what exactly constitutes such a danger is unclear.

Shawarma Hunters by IZABO:

About the author

wendy in furs

I live and blog anonymously from New York. If my boss knew this was me, I'd be fired in a nano-second. Ha ha! Screw you boss man!

1 Comment

  • Some people are naturally thin and others even have genetic disorders that make them thin due to disease. I have a BMI below 18.5 and, while I am not model material, I object to the fact that I should be punished due to other’s bad behavior. Many of the same people who sponsored this bill also said that Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the blockade are collective punishment, so how is this not?