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Hurrah, Israel! Finally, someone has stepped up and said, "No thank you" to models whose thighs are narrower than their knees.
I find it jarring to flip through fashion magazines or watch runway shows on TV. On the few occasions that I do, I have an urge to hand them a sandwich. A lot of sandwiches. That's not the reaction viewers should have when watching women and men present clothing we might consider buying. Knobby shoulders, emaciated faces and arms and jutting hipbones isn't sexy, it's horrifying.
Which is why I applaud Israel for its law and hope the fashion industry is inspired to step away from the era of sickly thin models.
Israel's law bans models that "look underweight" or have a BMI (body mass index) less than 18.5, which is the threshold to "underweight" according to World Health Organization (WHO), according to an article by Melissa Healy of the Los Angeles Times. Models must show a doctor's verification of their weight and BMI. According to a few modeling websites I found, models must currently be at least 5 feet, 8 inches and weigh between 108 and 125 pounds....