France Attempts to Limit Pro-Eating Disorder Movement

Ana Carolina Reston, Brazilian supermodel, died in 2006 from anorexia
(image courtesy of http://www.ethicsinbusiness.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/sickly.jpeg)

Reading the paper yesterday morning before class, Bronwen and I came upon a New York Times article entitled, “French Bill Takes Chic Out of Being Too Thin.” In Paris, French lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that would restrict pro-eating disorder websites that offer starvation tips and encouragement called “thinspiration.” So far, the bill has passed the lower house of Parliament and will now face a Senate vote. “If passed it would take aim at any means of mass communication—including magazines and Web sites—that promote eating disorders…with up to three years in prison and more than $70,000 in fines” (Quoted from article, link at bottom of post).

Obviously, there is much controversy over the bill and an uncertainty over its future effectiveness in curbing eating disorders. Important questions - such as who is to take responsibility for pro-ana (“ana” and “mia” are terms used for anorexia and bulimia) websites—the Internet provider or the website creator?—are not addressed in the current bill.

Although I applaud France’s attempt to address the terrors of eating disorders I feel that their approach is somewhat limited. Stopping pro-eating disorder websites is simply cutting off one outreach of eating disorders; it is doing little to prevent their occurrence. A more efficient method would be to reach young girls (and boys) before the age when eating disorders typically occur and in situations they encounter in their everyday lives. This can happen by changing how parents raise children in relation to food, creating more easily accessible sexual abuse help groups, changing the way coaches approach female athletes, and offering more realistic information about the female body to women and girls (Nancy Redd’s Body Drama is an excellent example). It is much less practical to try and instantly force the media to portray healthier images than it is to raise a generation of men and women who will refuse to accept the skeletal media role models and use their outraged voices and votes to change it.

-Madeleine

French Bill Takes Chic Out of Being Too Thin