A groundbreaking bill which seeks to criminalise the promotion of extreme thinness in the media, had been passed in France.
The bill targets pro-ana websites and media publications that encourage young women to starve themselves to a state of illness.
It will affect websites, fashion houses, magazines and advertisers.
If approved, those found to have encouraged severe weight loss could be fined up to 45,000 euros and face three years in prison.
French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said, ”Encouraging young girls to lie to their doctors, advising them on foods that are easier to regurgitate and inciting them to beat themselves up each time they eat is not freedom of expression,”
“These messages are death messages. Our country must be able to prosecute those who are hiding behind these websites,” she said.
The law could also affect the fashion industry and magazine editors who publish photographs of extremely thin models.
The BBC’s Emma Jane Kirby in Paris says that with 40,000 anorexics in France, many parliamentarians feel the law cannot come soon enough.
An article by Katie
Posted April 16, 2008 
