TOW #25 "When Women are Too Thin" by the NYT

      France recently took major steps in the battle against anorexia by approving amendments that will fight against anorexia . The fashion and entertainment business is deforming the definition of beauty in which skinny, and unnaturally skinny is deemed beautiful. This is becoming a health problem and a deadly issue in France and the New York Time editorial board uses factual information and examples of models who died of anorexia to argue that these French amendments prove to global fashion that extreme malnutrition and anorexia cannot be considered beautiful.

     The Editorial Board gives the audience facts and statistics about anorexia to allow the audience understand just how great of a problem anorexia is not only in France, but around the world. There are up to "40,000 people (who) suffer from anorexia in France, 90 percent of them women," according to France's Health Ministry. But this problem is worldwide as, "24 million Americans suffer from eating disorders. There is a law in Israel "against ultrathin models," that went into effect in January, 2013. This shows how widespread a problem eating disorders are and it shows that nations are already taking steps to stop this.

     What makes anorexia a very real problem is that it can be fatal, for the Editorial Board of the New York Times gives examples of models who died of anorexia. Im 2006, "Brazilian-born model Ana Carolina Reston" died of anorexia. "French model Isabelle Caro...weighed only 60 pounds when she posed for an ad campaign in 2007" and she died in 2010. These deaths show that anorexia can be deadly. People often think of eating disorders as simply minor problems to a person's life, but when a full grown women is only 60 pounds in the case of Isabelle Caro, there can be very real consequences. This qualifies the actions that the French government is making as they are creating laws that will help save the lives of their citizens,

    The three laws will "require models to get a medical certificate that their body mass index is a minimum of 18. Employers who hire models who don’t meet this minimum would risk a fine of about $83,000 and a prison term of up to six months." The second amendment will require digitally amended photos to meet a certain requirement and the photo cannot be unrealistically thin. "The third amendment would punish websites that promote unhealthy weight loss and anorexia with a fine of 10,000 euros and up to one year in prison." These steps that the French are making are a sign of the change needed in today's society and are steps that not only France, but the whole world should be making as well.

Ana Carolina Reston (death 2006) 

What anorexia can do