Israeli Lawmaker Attempts To Ban Super-Slim Models, Photoshop
How Thin Is Too Thin?
We all know that for models and celebrities, “thin is in.” Hollywood, fashion magazines, and the media in general are full of rail thin supermodels and movie-stars that promote an unusual body type as the only “beautiful” body type. Studies have shown that the portrayal of thinness as beauty in the popular media has even contributed to a rise in eating disorders such anorexia and bulimia. And what’s worse, photos portraying rail-thin models have often been retouched to make the models appear even thinner than they are in real life. These days, this information is mostly common knowledge – something we’ve all heard about, and just sort of accepted. What could we do about it, anyway?
Well, Israeli doctor and lawmaker Rachel Adatto thinks there is something to be done. Adatto, who has devoted much of her career to women’s health issues, recently submitted a bill to the Knesset (Israeli parliament) that would keep “underweight” models out of advertisements, and would prohibit the misuse of editing tools like Photoshop, so advertising agencies and print media could not airbrush models into Barbie dolls.
Adatto claims that super-skinny models are poor role models for children and adults alike, and that impressionable youths are particularly at risk for potentially fatal eating disorders. She also suggests that the use of Photoshop is partly to blame. Photographers routinely photograph models, and then use photo scanning and digital editing software like Photoshop to make their photos (and their subjects) appear “more perfect.”
But what would such a law mean for slender Israeli models like Shelly Hazan (pictured right? Do they not have the right to work? The bill raises questions about freedom of occupation, freedom of employment, and of course the freedom of expression that Americans guard so vehemently. Such principles are anchored in Israeli law as strongly as in our laws.
Of course, the fashion and photography industries have taken advantage of airbrushing techniques for decades, and most of us accept that a certain amount of photo scanning, fiddling, and blemish-removing is bound to take place in industries that focus so heavily on aesthetics. Last week, in what seems to many like a reasonable compromise, the ministerial legislation committee signed off on an altered version of the bill which would allow photo-altering but would require touched-up images to be identified.
As for the debate over “how thin is too thin,” the jury is still out.
Tags: photo scanning, photoshop