Israel Bans Models under BMI 18.5

A better measurement could be to simply pass the "bill of health" through their doctor with a thorough examination. Seems easy enough (and the doctor will take BMI as well as other factors into consideration).

Yeah, but the idea is not necessarily for the health of the models, it's for the imagery exposed to teenagers. Images of what would be considered underweight people, healthy or not, might present the same unrealistic ideals to people. I don't know, really, I'm just thinking out loud. I haven't had a chance to fully digest the concept yet.

Slim teenagers like to feel "normal" also.

A better measurement could be to simply pass the "bill of health" through their doctor with a thorough examination. Seems easy enough (and the doctor will take BMI as well as other factors into consideration).

Yeah, but the idea is not necessarily for the health of the models, it's for the imagery exposed to teenagers. Images of what would be considered underweight people, healthy or not, might present the same unrealistic ideals to people. I don't know, really, I'm just thinking out loud. I haven't had a chance to fully digest the concept yet.

Slim teenagers like to feel "normal" also.

That's true. I don't really know the answer. I guess the risks associated with slim teenagers not seeing their body type portrayed have to be weighed against the risks of those who are not naturally underweight seeing imagery of underweight models. I suppose there could be backlash from naturally slim people, but I wonder if there are really health risks associated with naturally slim people wanting to be "healthy" BMI. There could be, I guess.

There are indeed health risks. I was so skinny in my early teens that I realized I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain. So I did-- candy, pasta, whole pizzas, some days I ate ridiculous amounts of sugar. Where did that get me? VERY poor health from the junk I ate in order to gain. I'm hypoglycemic now, likely because I didn't eat healthy and let my sugars get out of control. I also had to totally revamp my diet because my immune system was so weak. Skinny people need to eat healthy foods too and be accepted for the weight they are, people who comment on someone being too skinny are JUST AS HURTFUL as people who shame obese people. Eating disorders to NOT HAVE TO DO WITH WEIGHT, they are a mental illness.

"Results: This review demonstrates that the media does contribute to the development of eating disorders."

"The current evidence suggests that the negative effects of the media are more pronounced for individuals who are already at-risk or vulnerable (Stice, 2002). The meta-analytic review by Groesz et al. (2002) indicated that females who have already internalized the thin beauty ideal and/or who already have high levels of body dissatisfaction are most vulnerable. A meta-analytic review by Stice (2002) further indicated that adolescent girls with initial deficits in social support and elevations in perceived pressure to be thin are also more vulnerable to the effects of the media messages. "

"The research on the impact of the media on body dissatisfaction, eating pathology, and negative affect indicates that the media is a causal risk factor for the development of eating disorders and negative affect (Groesz et al., 2002; Stice, 2002). Controlled experimental studies, prospective studies on perceived pressure, and naturalistic studies support the theory that media messages directly contribute to the extensive body discontent experienced by girls and women today in Western society."

"In conclusion, the mass media surrounds us with images of the “thin ideal” for females, an ideal that has become increasingly thin since the 1950’s and thus increasingly unrealistic for most girls and women. The messages and images that focus on the value of appearances and thinness for females have a significant negative impact on body satisfaction, weight preoccupation, eating patterns, and the emotional well-being of women in western culture. Research has demonstrated that the media contributes to the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Prevention and treatment of eating disorders should therefore include media literacy, activism, and advocacy. Given the prevalence of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in females in our society, and the associations which have been found between eating disorders and the media, it would be prudent for professionals and the public to advocate for more positive and self-esteem building messages to be conveyed to females by the media. Future research should focus on ways to counter-act the effects of the media, in order to improve body satisfaction and self-esteem for girls and women in western culture."