Skinny Models Ban: France May Join Italy, Israel, Spain in Banning Employment of Ultra-Thin Models

Three countries have already given approval to measures that prohibit the hiring of ultra-thin models, with France expecting to follow the trend, BBC has reported.

Italy, Israel, and Spain have banned the use of such models, while France is still looking at a health reform bill on the matter.

The French National Assembly is considering a proposed law that would include measures that would keep designers and labels from hiring models seen as "too thin" by healthcare standards.

Models deemed very thin will be required to prove they have at least a body mass index of 18 through a medical certificate. They will then have to undergo periodic weigh-ins.

Employers hiring models who do not comply with the weight requirement can face fines of up to 75,000 euros, ($81,000 USD). Worse, those who hire such models can serve prison sentences.

The founder and managing director of media agency inPress, Jamie Gavin, welcomed the proposals.

Last month, France stopped a move that sought to prevent eating disorders among models in the fashion industry, the Examiner reported.

The bill penalizes companies or individuals who hire models who do not follow a certain bodyweight. It was not passed because of issues on job discrimination based on size.

The measure's anti-anorexia provision, authored by neurologist and socialist politician Olivier Veran, was not accepted by the National Assembly because of its potential to "discriminate against jobseekers on the grounds of their weight."

Veran estimated that some 30,000 to 40,000 people in France suffer from anorexia. He said skinny models "glorify anorexia" even as he pushed for his health policy to curb anorexia in the fashion industry.

In 2012, British modeling agency Elite Model Management agreed to stop hiring models who were seen as too thin, in support of a campaign started by fashion magazine Vogue to promote healthier views of body image among children, BBC reported.

The agency vowed not to employ models aged under 16 or those who look like they have an eating disorder.

In 2010, French model and actress Isabelle Caro died after showing the danger of being underweight, which is glorified in the fashion industry.