France Seeks to Outlaw Promotion of Unrealistic Beauty Ideals by the Industry *

Abstract:

A bill passed by the French National Assembly that sought to criminalize the promotion of extreme dieting in the media had the fashion industry and advertising industry representatives up in arms. The regulators contended that there was a link between the sociocultural/ media environment and eating disorders and sought to crack down on websites and publications that encouraged girls and young women to resort to potentially harmful behavior.

Introduction In April 2008, the French National Assembly passed a pioneering bill that sought to criminalize the promotion of extreme dieting in the media. The bill, if approved by the French Senate (upper house), would make it illegal to "provoke a person to seek excessive weight loss by encouraging prolonged nutritional deprivation that would have the effect of exposing them to risk of death or endangering health." Analysts felt that the bill, if approved by the Senate, would have far-reaching implications for websites, magazines, and the advertising and fashion industry... Case Studies on Related Topics 1. Unilever's "Real Beauty"Campaign for Dove 2. Lakme Fashion Week and Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week: Fission in Indian Fashion 3. Treading on that Fine Line? - Caselets in Marketing Ethics 4. The Body Shop: Social Responsibility or Sustained Greenwashing?

Key words:
Promotion, advertising, fashion industry, legal, regulations, sociocultural, media environment, extreme dieting, media, websites, magazines, unrealistic beauty ideals, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, pro-anorexia websites, publications, France, Europe

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