France Decides Not To Pass Bill Banning Super-Skinny Models After All

The French government considered a bill that would ban modeling agencies and fashion houses from working with super-skinny models. What happened?

Models would have had to prove they have a Body Mass Index of at least 18 (roughly 121 pounds for a 5-foot-7 woman).

Fines as large as $80,000 and jail sentences up to six months could've been levied against those who hire models with lower BMIs.

“It’s important for fashion models to say that they need to eat well and take care of their health, especially for young women who look to the models as aesthetic ideals,“ French minister of health Marisol Touraine said yesterday.

Similar laws are already on the books in Italy, Spain and Israel. But it won't be in France.

France rejected imposing a ban on super-skinny fashion models - because a law would risk discriminating against 'thin people' in the workplace.