French Law: Thou shall not fool people via photoshop... without giving them a heads up

Via Reddit:  Images digitally alerted to make models look thinner must carry a warning that they have been “touched up” under a French law aimed at tackling* anorexia that comes into force on Sunday.

Doctoring fashion photographs is a common practice but is seen as a public health issue in France, where about 600,000 people suffer from anorexia or other eating disorders, according to the health ministry.

Any publication of a digitally edited or airbrushed commercial image not clearly labelled as “photographie retouchée” (touched up photograph) can be punished with a fine of at least €37,500, or 30 per cent of the cost of creating the advertisement.

The authorities hope the new “Photoshop warning” will discourage unhealthy extreme thinness among people trying to emulate unrealistic body shapes that were faked with a computer programme.

Marisol Touraine, the former health minister who introduced the legislation, said it was intended “to avoid promoting inaccessible ideals of beauty and to prevent anorexia among young people.”

She added: “Exposing young people to normative and unrealistic body images leads to a feeling of self-depreciation and poor self-esteem that can have an impact on health-related behaviour.”

France also compels models to provide doctor’s notes certifying that they are not too skinny and their body mass index is healthy.

*Tackling is offensive language.. the right way to say convey that same idea, in a much less toxic masculine way would be to say 'French law is #TakingAKnee against anorexia.

Although, come to think of it. I find people starving themselves to death a kind and generous gesture towards mother earth don't you think? Anorexia is good for the planet ;)

Then there's the bit with (touched up photograph)... don't even get me started as to how problematic that language is.