I admire those who take the initiative. It takes a lot of courage to be the first to do something, even if you’re not quite sure what you’re doing. Take France here, for instance. Those Frenchmen are gutsy and those Frenchwomen are respectable. Not because they sell crepes on the streets, though. Oh no, this time it’s because they just passed a bill that would ban magazines and advertisements that promote thinness. Let’s give a round of applause for France. Maybe they’re not neutral on everything.
However, this law wasn’t exactly met with open arms by everyone. A psychology professor at Brigham Young University who studies the media’s effect on anorexic women really put her stamp on the debate with the following quote: “you’re putting your finger in one hole in the dike, but there are other holes, and it’s much more complex than that.”
And she’s right — the more holes there are, the more complicated it gets. Believe me. But seriously, France is trying to accomplish a lot here. A lot of places put in weird laws just for the sake of doing so. I mean, it’s illegal in Alaska to look at a moose when you’re in an airplane. And in Arkansas, it’s illegal to sing in public when you’re wearing a swimsuit. And don’t get me started with my native land, Illinois, where in one particular city it’s illegal for a man with a mustache to kiss a woman. It’s probably one of those old-fashioned towns like in “Footloose,” where they don’t like rebels.
Anyways, France is doing a good thing even if they are doing it in a roundabout way. No one can really decide what is “too skinny” or even say what defines thinness, so there’s a good chance this law won’t even come into play. But at least they gave it a shot. Here’s to you, France.
Happy Humpday,
Matt