France seems to have created legislation that will cause confusion and claims of media suppression, especially the internet. The legislation targets the web sites that promote ultra-thinness:

“PARIS –In image-conscious France, it may soon be a crime to glamorize the ultra-thin. A new French bill cracks down on Web sites that advise anorexics on how to starve - and could be used to hit fashion industry heavyweights, too.”

link: French bill takes aim at those who glamorize the ultra-thin

Initially, there is the problem of defining what constitutes promoting ultra thinness. If that issue is able to be defined clearly, then there is the problem of France assuming that it can police the global web community. The concern about anorexia may be well intentioned. Nevertheless, the legislation raises the question about the usefulness of a bill, if enforcement is a practical impossibility.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

Tags: france, legislation, thinness, anorexia, enforcement, internet, crime