We live in a culture that is obsessed with thinness; where both men and women go to the extreme to look like the celebrities and models they see all over the media.  Currently, there are 8 million Americans who suffer from an eating disorder, reports the South Carolina Department of Mental Health.

Often the media and the fashion industry are blamed for setting unattainable standards for men and women. Since the media has such an influence, the Israel government finally stood up to the fashion industry and instituted a law Jan. 1 that bans underweight models. 

According to ABC News, now models must have a body-mass index of at least 18.5. Thus a 5-foot-8 model weighing 120 pounds, for example, has a BMI of 18.2, which would eliminate her from modeling in Israel.

This law is also called the “Photoshop Law” because modeling agencies must place a disclaimer on the images that have been altered to make the models appear skinner than they really are.

It can be debated if the tiny disclaimer will impact the viewer in anyway, but it can always be reassuring to know that this image is completely manufactured. Sometimes, in a busy world it is easy to forget that the thousands of images we see every day are just an illusion.  

Some people may also argue that this law is too strict, but it must be noted that the majority of runway models meet the body mass index for anorexia, reports PLUS Model magazine.

Yes, the runway is a small part of the fashion industry but steps need to be taken to protect the models and the viewers, especially young girls and boys.

“I think the U.S. and the rest of the world should start taking steps to remove the unhealthiness from the fashion industry…this ban may be a little extreme because it discriminates the girls who are naturally very skinny, but that is why the government should be more concerned with promoting healthy eating than trying to control weight…hopefully this raises awareness of the unhealthy part of the fashion industry around the world,” said DePaul sophomore, Joanna Buksa.   

Unfortunately, the U.S. does not see how the law is necessary because The Council of Fashion Designers of America told the Journal that it would continue to recommend guidelines for healthy eating and fitness, but they would not enforce by creating restrictions on the models.  

What they don’t want to admit is they don’t care about the models or society. Guidelines need to be put into place because models are getting skinnier.

According to ABC News, only 20 years ago, typical fashion models weighed eight percent less than the average woman and now they weigh 23 percent less.

Even plus-size models have become smaller because modeling agencies are looking for people between size six and size 14, while plus-size models two decades started at size 12 and went all the way up to size 18.

Not many women can say they are a size four, and especially in this country where one-third of adults are overweight, but that does not mean we are not obsessed with losing weight. Americans spend nearly $35 billion a year on dieting products, reports CBS News.

It is very clear that all the advertisements, celebrities and models we see subconsciously influence our behavior and they spark a desire in us- – a desire to be thin. Even if Congress never passes a bill similar to Israel’s, we need to be strong, learn to be media literate and understand that being thin is not glamorous like the media portrays it to be.