France takes up body image law

[defendandprotect]

France takes up body image law By DEVORAH LAUTER, Associated Press Writer
Tue Apr 15, 8:04 AM ET

PARIS - The French parliament's lower house adopted a groundbreaking bill Tuesday that would make it illegal for anyone — including fashion magazines, advertisers and Web sites — to publicly incite extreme thinness.

The National Assembly approved the bill in a series of votes Tuesday, after the legislation won unanimous support from the ruling conservative UMP party. It goes to the Senate in the coming weeks.

Fashion industry experts said that, if passed, the law would be the strongest of its kind anywhere. Leaders in French couture are opposed to the idea of legal boundaries on beauty standards.

The bill was the latest and strongest of measures proposed after the 2006 anorexia-linked death of a Brazilian model prompted efforts throughout the international fashion industry to address the repercussions of using ultra-thin models.

Conservative lawmaker Valery Boyer, author of the law, argued that encouraging anorexia or severe weight loss should be punishable in court.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_on_re_eu/france_anorexia

Doctors and psychologists treating patients with anorexia nervosa — a disorder characterized by an abnormal fear of becoming overweight — welcomed the government's efforts to fight self-inflicted starvation, but warned that its link with media images remains hazy.

[provis99]

1. will the French be rioting in the streets? They do for every other stupid cause

[EstimatedProphet]

6. And they've ended up with single-payer healthcare and 6 weeks/year of vacation

Maybe we could learn from them.

[Dr. Strange]

25. Maybe...but color me skeptical

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3269450

[defendandprotect]

9. Yeah, what do the French know? After all, they're stupid enough to have national health care--!!!

[Stinky The Clown]

14. And Americans ought to take a lesson from them and their 'rioting'

I'm of a mind that they have a better living standard than we do.

Because the citizens GET INVOLVED ...... some of it might be stupid (I'll take you at your word about that), but some of it is quite serious.

[Brigid]

17. They do.

Check out the extras in the DVD for Michael Moore's "Sicko" for further details.

[Two Americas]

18. I must object very strongly

As Michael Moore said in his film Sicko, the difference between France and the US is that in France the government fears the people, and in the US the people fear the government. That is the ultimate cause for which people march, under the banners of a variety of specific issues. Is that a stupid cause? If you think so, look around at what is becoming of this country.

This is an extremely reactionary comment, and I can't say in strong enough terms just how destructive I believe it to be; to the party, to the working people, and to the future of the country. This is exactly the sort of thinking that keeps things from changing here - this smug and sneering and very ugly notion of American exceptionalism, in the face of all evidence to the contrary. This is where the battle is won and lost: not in Congress, not in elections, not in the MSM, but rather in the little comments we make back and forth to each other, with all of the poisonous assumptions and premises that come along for the ride and go unexamined. This chatter coalesces into a constant drone, a certain background noise and forms the web within which we are forced to live. It precludes any critical thought or intelligent discussion, and it is turning us into pathetic and moronic cowards and is impoverishing and enslaving us, spiritually, creatively, and intellectually, as well as materially.

[tom_paine]

22. Well and politely said. More politely than I would have ben in the face of such a foolish

assinine, and moronic comment.

Knee-jerk French-bashing. :puke:

And they say the Imperial Subjects of Amerika are not comfortable with our new virtual slavery. So many of us are VERY comfortable with it. And all that is needed is sneering contempt toward the people of the Free World, which France belongs to and we do not.

As to the original topic, the French government must be going mad. What other thoughts or ideas are they going to make off-limits? A bad slippery slope here creeping in under the guise of protecting young women from an epidemic of anorexia.

[lildreamer316]

28. Wish I could nominate this post. n/t

[readmoreoften]

19. Yes, and being terrorized by your government like we are is some great virtue.

:eyes:

[RedCappedBandit]

27. So preventing eating disorders is a stupid cause?

Hmm..

[MercutioATC]

2. Well, it's good that they're dealing with the important stuff...

I agree that the whole "thin is in" thing puts a lot of social pressure on some women and girls and can lead to serious medical and psychological conditions, but do we really need legislation like this?

[Warpy]

3. Protecting women in occupations where looks are everything

from men who threaten to fire them if they gain five pounds is a good thing.

The Auschwitz survivor look has got to go. If it takes legislation to make employers behave humanely, so be it.

[Irreverend IX]

15. This legislation is fascist, that's all there is to it.

Restricting artistic expression because you think it could cause people harm is anathema to a free society. How would you feel if gangster rap was banned because it glamorizes crime? How would you feel if action movie characters were required to use violence only as a last resort after trying to negotiate with the bad guys? What if film depictions of violent attempts to overthrow governments were prohibited? So much for Star Wars...

[Warpy]

21. Artistic expression? Oh, boy, that's reaching!

What's FASCIST is refusing to protect workers in the workplace, especially vulnerable young women, from men who threaten their lives and livelihoods trying to make them look like PRETEEN BOYS.

That's the bottom line, workplace protection. Don't like it? Try living without it in your own damn job.

[Irreverend IX]

23. So fashion and clothing design aren't art?

What this legislation amounts to is telling artists that they can't feature people with certain body types in their work because it sends an undesirable message to the public. If a designer does pressure models to abuse their bodies and they end up getting sick or dead, the designer should be taken to court and lose their tailored silk shirt. I have no problem with that. But attempting to preemptively tie designers' hands by outlawing the positive portrayal of certain body types is thought police bullshit.

[Warpy]

31. The art ends at the health of the workers who are expected

to strut down a catwalk in the stuff.

Get that? HEALTH. It trumps designing for young boys in drag any day.

[defendandprotect]

10. You're looking of a picture of a "model" and asking that question?

They have been used to try to influence the public --- it's propaganda --
and sadly it works on young women.

And for those who don't starve themselves, there is guilt and other psychological impact on our
young girls --

This is an important issue -- for everyone who has a daughter -- a sister -- a mother ---

[brentspeak]

4. Good grief

I think they should be a little more worried that the tinderbox that are the Paris suburbs.

[HEyHEY]

5. Sweet, now if they pass a law saying the perfect male body is hairy and 20 pounds overwieght....

I'm in business!

[LeftinOH]

7. General Strike! Students protest! University professors and union members

walk out in solidarity! Train, bus operators, and airline pilots walk out as well! Socialist and Communist parties form three-way coalition in emergency run-off vote with Green Party. Thousands march on US & Israeli embassies! Vive la France! Vive la France! Vive la France!

[Zynx]

8. France's history is a pretty volatile one.

I expect fashion models and model agents to protest fiercely.

[pink-o]

11. So much for French women don't get fat

...which is a lie. I've spent time in Provence and Paris, and there're plenty of women above a size 2. And above a Size 12 as well!

I think it's great that France is adopting this, considering the First Lady is an ex-model. (And more popular than her idiot husband.)

[spooky3]

13. Some people here don't like it, but the French are right about many things

on which they differ with Americans. On other issues, of course, there is no right or wrong--just different ways of looking at the same things.

I learned a lot while spending a short time there. I enjoyed the people and admired the culture very much.

[pink-o]

20. Oh, don't get me wrong--I absolutely LOVE France!!!

I spent lots of time in Paris and the Riviera, and if I had the money I would just buy a train pass, take off work for 2 months and immerse myself in a long, cultural journey.

Whenever anyone RW gives me the line about how they'd all be speaking German if it weren't for the Americans in WWII, I fire back that if it weren't for the French in the Revolutionary War we'd all be speaking the Queen's English. And I wonder aloud if they want us to return the Statue of Liberty.

They don't like that very much!

[defendandprotect]

12. Is this what a "model" should look like . . . want your daughter to look like that?

[Ellen Forradalom]

16. While legislation is not the appropriate response

at least they're drawing attention to the problem.

[Jed Dilligan]

24. If they could just hit that sweet spot

halfway between Kate Moss and foie gras geese...

[pitohui]

26. i do have one question about this

to my knowledge most of the "thinspiration" and "pro-ana/mia" sites that genuinely "promote" this behavior are run by teen-age girls for teen-age girls

i don't agree with promoting anorexia/bulimia and i am the first to object whenever i see a post on DU that promotes fear of eating good healthy food (there is always some vegan trying to create fear of eating beef or pork in vulnerable young women)...but...

i would rather discuss/argue in the public marketplace of ideas than to prosecute some 14 year old with a website

agree with someone else who pointed out that if the law protects models from being pressured to lose an unhealthy amout of weight, it's a labor/safe workplace issue -- and we have to support that, a woman shouldn't have to risk her health to keep her job

i'm guessing the law is about the labor issue and the runway/magazine models in paris and it isn't actually about prosecuting someone who says you can never be too rich or too thin

[dysfunctional press]

29. so at least we aren't alone in having a government of morans...

it's re-assuring in one sense, and extremely frustrating in another- that utter stupidity is a worldwide phenomenon not limited to these united states.

[defendandprotect]

30. I'm surprised that we have so little comment on this . . .

Some time back --- not too long ago --- I read that Arianna Huffington had had some problems with
one of her daughters with eating problems . . .
and she thought that her own behavior re eating and staying thin -- which her daughters were naturally aware of -- might have caused her daughter to diet to excess.

Of course, this is a problem which mainly effects females ---
so again I am surprised ---

Also -- I think most of us are aware of the influence of adults on their students ---
adults want to win --- whether it's tennis or wrestling ---
and dancing teachers want the best dangers --- and too often they think that's the thinnest dancer.
And on and on ---

We can see the resistance by the fashion industry to this ---
Should they be able to force the models to diet to excess or be out of a job?

Hopefully, the lack of concern here has to do with DUers not experiencing this problem
with themselves or their kids ---

[pitohui]

32. prominent ad on DU trying to put people off their food for several days

similar ad ran on bartcop

how do you comment when your website is struggling financially and badly needed advertising dollars are coming from people who are happy to put young women (or anybody else) off their food?

i've been affected by this and i doubt i'm the only one but at some point you get tired of fighting about it if nobody else seems to care


people keep shouting that obesity kills and probably it does if you're 70 but anorexia can kill if you're 20 or 30 and yet people just don't see the difference in the urgency...

[defendandprotect]

33. Not f amiliar with ad, but I'll look == usually ignore that kind of stuff ---

Also, I think it's difficult to talk about when you're actually effected ---

we're all dealing with this theoretically ...

I don't think people really understand what happens to the body ---

I mean, how anyone could look at the young girl in the article and not react . . .
I just don't get it!!

Maybe the "law" issue in this article is distracting them . . . ???