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Israel Passes Photoshop Law To Combat Anorexia

Posted by samzenpus on from the bigger-model dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "The Atlantic reports that the Israeli parliament has passed legislation that prohibits fashion media and advertising with models who fall below the World Health Organization's standard for malnutrition banning underweight models as determined by Body Mass Index. The new law also stipulates that any ad which uses airbrushing, computer editing, or any other form of Photoshop editing to create a slimmer model must clearly state that fact. Advertising campaigns created outside of Israel must comply with the legislation's standards in order to appear in Israel. 'I realized that only legislation can change the situation,' says Rachel Adato, an Israeli parliament member with a background in medicine. 'There was no time to educate so many people, and the change had be forced on the industry. There was no time to waste, so many girls were dieting to death.' The measure has been controversial within Israel for raising the question of where free speech bumps up against the fashion industry's responsibility — and its possible harm — to its customers' psychological well-being. Donald Downs, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and an expert on the First Amendment, says that it would be very tough to pass something like Israel's law in the US Congress. 'In the US, it would be hard to justify this type of law on either legal or normative policy grounds,' says Downs. 'The Israeli law is paternalistic in that it prohibits something because of the effect it might have on others in the longer term.'"

7 of 488 comments (clear)

  1. All part of Israel's new humanitarian plan by crazyjj · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    1) Pass laws to combat fashion model anorexia
    2) Enforce regulations on non-educational reality television ...
    238) Stop forcing Palestinians into walled-off ghettos.

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    What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    1. Re:All part of Israel's new humanitarian plan by Stormwatch · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      1) Pass laws to combat fashion model anorexia
      2) Enforce regulations on non-educational reality television ...
      238) Stop forcing Palestinians into walled-off ghettos.

      561400593) Ban genital mutilation

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      Circumcision is child abuse.
    2. Re:All part of Israel's new humanitarian plan by crazyjj · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      Yeah, but wouldn't you think that if you were living there you would want to prioritize?

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      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
  2. Too late. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    I was going to post something about the inevitability of some anti-Semitic fuck posting hate shit about Israel.

    Too late, crazyjj was too fast.

    1. Re:Too late. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      It's in the unfounded accusation that Israel is somehow an evil entity, which is actually based in an anti-Jewish sentiment.

    2. Re:Too late. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I guess it all depends on how you say doesn't it?

      Saying that Palestinians "should not be kept walled into ghettos" is suggesting that they are, which is would be a reprehensible practice reminiscent of the Warsaw ghettos during WWII. Since they are not, then the statement is a defamation of Israel, which is, for all practical matters, is antisemitic.

      As the post directly above yours shows, there is a definite streak of antisemitism on Slashdot.

  3. What about OBESE models? by couchslug · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Encouraging fat fucks is deadly too. The medical consequences are debilitating and often fatal.

    What BMI range will be acceptable for models?

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    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."