The Israeli parliament has passed legislation prohibiting images of thin models in advertising, which becomes the first country to adopt such a measure according to a spokesman has said the sponsor of this bill. The law passed unanimously prohibits images of male and female models with a BMI (BMI: weight in kilos divided by height in meters squared) of 18,5 or less, according to a statement of the parliamentary Dr. Rachel Adatto.
His spokesman, Liad Gilhar, said it was the first time in the world in adopting such a law. "The law will change the current situation, in which male and female models with low birth weight are an ideal for children and youth, Pushing the terrible curse of eating disorders, which affect not only the physical but the mental health."
The law further stipulates that should be "clearly indicated" on the images used if you used a retouching program to refine the appearance of the model. The legislation apply to printed images, the billboards and television advertisements and also affects those campaigns abroad with foreign models and imported to Israel.
However, it affect the means for which the Israelis do not represent the target basically imported foreign magazines or publications for noncommercial purposes. About 1,500 young Israelis are currently suffering eating disorders, which represent a major cause of deaths among children.
