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France bans extremely thin models

Models will need to provide a doctor's certificate attesting to their overall physical health, with special regard to their body mass index.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

A law in France banning the use of unhealthily thin fashion models has come into effect, reports the BBC.

Models will need to provide a doctor's certificate attesting to their overall physical health, with special regard to their body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight in relation to height.

The health ministry says the aim is to fight eating disorders and inaccessible ideals of beauty.

Digitally altered photos will also have to be labelled from 1 October.

Images where a model's appearance has been manipulated will need to be marked photographie retouchée (English: retouched photograph).

A previous version of the bill had suggested a minimum BMI for models, prompting protests from modelling agencies in France.

Read more of this report from the BBC.