Models In France Require Doctor's Note To Work

Photo: Karl Prouse/Getty

French officials passed a bill that requires models to have a medical certificate to prove they are healthy—aka not dangerously skinny before walking the runway or posing in front of a camera. Failure to provide a certificate will be punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of €75,000 (around £54,500). The new legislation is aimed at combating the growing problem of anorexia in models and rising numbers of young people with eating disorders. According to statistics, there are between 30,000 and 40,000 people with anorexia in France, and 20% of girls have restricted food intake at some point in their lives. The measures were adopted as part of a new health bill. Models will have to provide employers with a doctor’s certificate confirming that “the state of health of the model, assessed with regard to her body mass index is compatible with the exercise of her profession”. 

Published photographs of models that have been modified “in order to narrow or widen the silhouette” should be labelled as "retouched photograph." Those who failed to comply could face a fine of up to €37,500 , or 30% of the value of the advert featuring the model. An earlier version of the bill also made it an offense punishable by up to a year’s imprisonment to encourage excessive thinness, a measure aimed at pro-ana websites that promote anorexia or bulimia.