SubscribeFrance to Punish Those Who Encourage Anorexia
A draft law in France is looking to punish "incitement to excessive thinness" in magazines, on websites and in other media.
While not seeking to target bona fide dieting, the law would punish any encouragement to make "people deprive themselves of food in order to get excessively thin", or that constituted an "open apology of anorexia".
The punishment could include up to 3 years jail time.
It seems the law will target pro-anorexia bloggers and websites. The French Health Minister stated "These Web sites that propagate messages of death must be the subject of particular vigilance."
The proposal comes at the same time as the French fashion industry are signing up to a new (voluntary) charter promoting health body image:
"We pledge to promote, within our activities, diversity in the representation of the body, avoiding all form of stereotyping that can favor the creation of an aesthetic archetype that is potentially dangerous to [youth]," (src: ABC)
More like this in Body Image · Apr 10, 2008
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France drops the hammer!
This is impressively pro-active, given that france has a comparatively low occurrence of eating disorders.
ReplyI think this may be a step in the right direction. If there were no images of extremely skinny women to constantly compare our bodies to, maybe more women would look to real life women for role models. I think fashion designers/stylists/magazine editors, etc. would be prime candidates for being targeted by this law.
Replyso anyone going to jail for that "top model" show?
ReplyInteresting. I like something being done proactive, though a law like this does make me nervous... I guess we'll see.
ReplyInteresting. I like something being done proactive, though a law like this does make me nervous... I guess we'll see.
I do like the voluntary charter, if it actually changes anything.
ReplyThis will pass when that Mississippi law banning fat people from restaurants passes. Both are publicity stunts.
Replyexcuse me,but i find NO reason,why punish these people who want to blog thin-things. they possible just seek same spirited mates and want to share their thoughs. everybody has the very own right to decide what they want to write/tell and so has the reader/listener right to decide,what they want to read/listen. nobody forces anybody to drop huge amounts of weight and become a pro-ana or anything!
besides,isn't there lots bigger problem in amount of over weight and obese people?! please ban the pictures of these giants,ban fast food restaurants,ban high calorie foods..
this is just so stupid,'cause we must have right to make free decisions! laws and such things can't order us too much.
ReplyTo Johanna : I'm French, let me explain: They want to fight hardcore PRO-anorexia sites, those who actually PROMOTE it, not those who help people get out of it, or those sharing thoughts. There is a difference between talking/writing about something and advocating/promoting it.
ReplyAre you the same Johanna that complained that people unfairly treat you as if you were anorexic just because you are "naturally skinny"?
Cause if you are and are now up in arms about France banning pro-anorexia sites and pointing the finger at "the real problem" of fat people instead, you know, maybe those people are only trying to help you.
Replyoh no,i'm not the naturally skinny Johanna :) but i do wish I were.
Replythanks to lox,i probably over reacted or something,ofcourse there's a big difference in between promoting or just simply sharing thoughts about anorexia. i don't (either) want people get the wrong idea an glorify extreme thinness.
anyway i still wonder why thay don't make laws considering obese people.
i don't think that banning any website will remove the problem or is the solution.
Yeah I support this in theory, but I'm also pretty sure that in practice there is no way this can go well.
ReplyAh, once again freedom bites the dust in Europe. Freedom fries anyone?
ReplyUhh...I realize this is in France, and I'm not familiar with their constitution (or whatever it is they have), but my first thought is--"Freedom of Speech". Prohibiting people from talking on the internet about anorexia in a favorable since--however awful it is--would certainly violate the U.S. constitution. I don't see this flying at all.
Personally, I think it's just another example of a government assuming that parents are incapable of looking after their own kids. Now if the individual websites (My Space, Blogger, etc) want to set rules banning pro-anorexia discussion, that's another story. But mostly I think parents need to take the time to make sure they know what their kids are doing on a day to day basis.
ReplyThere are health warnings on cigarettes, in the US, and I'm sure the US government would forbid a website that said "The health warnings are all wrong, cigarettes are good for you! It is a lifestyle, not an addiction!"
What I got is that the French government wants to forbid sites that say anorexia is a lifestyle, not a disease, and that it is good for you - "open apology of anorexia". I don't see how this violates freedom of speech. You can't have a website saying murder is good either. Freedom of speech is limited by things that are considered hate speech or dangerous to public health. Anorexia would be in the latter case, dangerous to public health.
ReplyThe idea of pro-anorexia websites absolutely terrifies me. But I'm pretty sure that this, regrettably, does go against the idea of freedom of speech... Everyone has the right to express an opinion even if the opinion happens to be wrong. Take all the herbal remedy websites that make all those fantastic claims, or websites that promote all sorts of dangerous lifestyles such as drinking blood, beastiality ... and I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a blog from someone who believes smoking is harmless and all the warnings are due to a huge conspiracy theory.
Someone once said, if you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for people whose opinions you hate, otherwise it wouldn't be freedom of speech.
ReplyI get the slippery slope here.
I want to agree with the principle, but then I remember the horrible Teen Vogue message boards and I'm supporting France's initiative again.
ReplyJan, just wanted to say that as much as I want to support the principle of free speech, I too would be inclined to support the French initiative in this case. In terms of what's right and wrong things are never black and white ...
The only reason I posted was because I had just watched a documentary where one of my heroes (prof. Noam Chomsky - who is a living saint in my eyes) along with 200 other leading scholars of the time signed a petition supporting the right for a French professor to publish a book that argued the holocaust had never happened. Mind you Chomsky is Jewish. And hearing him say that believing in free speech meant believing in free speech for people whose opinion you completely against just floored me.
Also I just wanted to say that I respect your posts very much!
ReplyThank you!
I saw Chomsky speak once and it was seriously the highlight of my life. I'm not kidding here. So we have something in common.
I don't think this will work, though. I can see where they are coming from, but I am afraid this restriction is not practical from a legal standpoint.
ReplyI think the real danger with the pro-ana websites is that a lot of young girls go on those sites looking for "tricks" to help them purge or not eat and it's sickening to think that there are people out there encouraging others to embrace a lifestyle that is little more than a living hell. I definitely see them as being a public danger; not just a "freedom of speech" thing. If someone tried to make a website showing people how to fraud the IRS or how to poison your spouse without anyone knowing, they'd be shut down right away. Freedom of speech definitely excludes anything that would jeopardize anyone's health or safety. Kind of like the whole yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater scenario.
ReplyHi Spectra. I definitely agree with the fact that because so many teens are looking to this site for tips that it is a public danger and not just an issue with freedom of speech. I do think however, that if it were strictly an adult website that the initiative would have a much harder time passing, horrible as it might be. Sorry to be focusing in on such a technicality...I am very far from being an expert on politics so I apologize ... I'm just trying to think some things out :)
ReplyI get what you're saying here...sort of like how internet porn sites that are "adult only" can exist because theoretically anyone under 18 isn't looking at them. The problem with the pro-ana sites is that they AREN'T adult-only; most of them are actually targeted to the under-16 crowd.
ReplyAbsolutely. I spent two years battling with anorexia, but it started when I was 14 - young, completely self-conscious, and much more easily influenced. There was this type of joy in knowing that other people out there struggled with food as well, and that I could make friends who would understand the difficulty in eating 500 cals a day. I learned calorie cycling - where we would struggle to eat 300 cals one day, 400 the next, 500 the third day, and then back again, to 'lose as much weight as possible.'
I believe that people should have the basic right of freedom of speech, but that *does not* include teaching people to slowly kill themself.
Props to France - someone needs to take action first.
ReplyWell, I feel like a sort of expert here, having been anorexic for 7 years. Organ failure, profound depression, etc.
France, unfortunately, cannot solve the problem, which is how stupid and crazy and bereft of ideals modern culture is. Here in the US, I avoid my boyfriend's italian immigrant friend, because she makes stupid comments about my weight (I'm not even fat). I'm afraid to say anything, lest I punch her or cry. Her attitude is a symptom.
If only the developed wold would get it's priorities straight and start worrying about the state of the planet instead of how to get to size zero .
It sounds as though this law will censor extra-franconic sites, the same thing we complain about when China does it. No use. A sea change in attitude, less self-centeredness is what's needed. Yeah, right-good luck to us.
ReplyJan, where are you from?
ReplyAnd um... what about all those diet pill companies that promise miraculous results?? Are they in for the chop too? Now THAT would be making some progress!
ReplyCari
Oh, once again lot of dust in Europe. Freedom fries anyone?
ReplyYeah I like this in philosophy, but I'm also pretty sure that in practice there is no way this can go well.
Reply