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| French Proposal on Models’ Weights Clashes With Labor Laws, Opponents Say | French Proposal on Models’ Weights Clashes With Labor Laws, Opponents Say |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| PARIS — Lawmakers on the French Parliament’s health committee said Thursday that they had rejected two provisions of an anorexia prevention measure but left open the possibility that an amended version could win approval when the provisions are debated anew by the full National Assembly in early April. | |
| The provisions would be added to a larger health bill that is moving through Parliament. | The provisions would be added to a larger health bill that is moving through Parliament. |
| Lawmakers opposed to the measure, which would criminalize the employment of severely underweight models, said it could contravene workplace anti-discrimination laws by making it difficult for extremely thin models to be employed. France has very comprehensive labor protections for workers in all fields. | |
| Catherine Coutelle, a co-sponsor of the measure, said there was no risk of its being applied inappropriately to people in other professions because models are treated in a separate section of the labor code, and the amendment would be added to that section. She said the technical aspects would be explained in greater detail when the full assembly took up the measure. | Catherine Coutelle, a co-sponsor of the measure, said there was no risk of its being applied inappropriately to people in other professions because models are treated in a separate section of the labor code, and the amendment would be added to that section. She said the technical aspects would be explained in greater detail when the full assembly took up the measure. |
| Another concern voiced by some committee members was that the wording, which would extend the penalties to any entity that encouraged anorexia, could be applied to websites. There is an aversion in France, as in many Western countries, to regulating anything on the Internet for fear that it could open the door to censorship. | Another concern voiced by some committee members was that the wording, which would extend the penalties to any entity that encouraged anorexia, could be applied to websites. There is an aversion in France, as in many Western countries, to regulating anything on the Internet for fear that it could open the door to censorship. |
| Other countries, like Italy and Spain, that have tried to find a compromise between the fashion industry’s demands and public health concerns about anorexia have been able to regulate the use of very thin models on runways but have not passed laws. | |
| A major question is where to set weight requirements. The body mass index that is widely used does not account for variations in bone size and other factors, and some consider it too inexact, a spokeswoman for the French Labor Ministry said. The ministry is also looking to address health issues in the workplace and said it might include the fashion industry in its review. |