France became the fourth nation to ban ultrathin female fashion models from its style runways. Models with a body mass index (BMI) of 18 or lower are prohibited from the fashion business.

Executives at fashion houses and talent agencies that use excessively thin models in France could face six months in prison and a fine of 75,000 Euros (US$82,000). A BMI of 18 equates to a model with a height of five feet and five inches weighing 108 pounds.

Like Us on Facebook

"The activity of model is banned for any person whose Physique Mass Index (BMI) is reduced than levels proposed by wellness authorities and decreed by the ministers of well being and labor," the new amendment says.

French lawmakers approved the measure on Friday, a day after voting to outlaw websites that encourage readers to get thin by starving themselves. As per the amendment to the health bill, anyone whose body mass index falls below levels proposed by health authorities is forbidden from working as a model.

Anorexia nervosa is an aberration in which victims are convinced they're fat and need to be thin to be healthier.

More than 200,000 people suffer from anorexia in France -- five times the government's estimate -- according to Association Autrement, a non-profit organization that seeks to help those afflicted by eating disorders.

The new law joins companion legislation that bans internet websites promoting anorexia in what is known as "thinspiration." Photographers and companies that publish re-touched photographs ought to declare on the image that the image has been altered.

Not everyone in France agrees with the new measures, saying overall health difficulties such as anorexia are a lot more complex than can be determined solely by BMI.

"When you appear at the criteria behind anorexia, you can't look only at the body mass index when other criteria are also involved: psychological, a history of hair loss, dental complications," explained Isabelle Saint-Felix, head of the National Union of Modelling Agencies in France.

"It's essential that the models are wholesome, but it's a small simplistic to consider there won't be any extra anorexics if we get rid of really thin models,"

France is home to some of the world's best-known fashion companies, including Chanel, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent.

TagsNew French Amendment against Anorexia Bans Skinny Models from Runaway, anorexia, Anorexia nervousa, skinny models, BMI, French models, French amendment, fashion show, fashion runaway, french, French Parliament