Parliament member Caroline Nokes is hoping that Britain will follow the lead of the many countries that have put bans on underweight models.
Nokes, who runs the parliamentary group on body image, presented a petition signed by 30,000 people in support the ban of ultra-thin models on Britain's runways. She is hoping to launch an investigation to see whether girls are being pressured to lose too much weight, and if this legislation is needed to protect them.
“Legislation should be a last resort, but I’m conscious the fashion industry isn’t responding to calls for change,” she told The Guardian. “We would prefer a code of conduct, if we could feel confident it would be adhered to.”
Denmark proposed a similar code, where models would be required to have health checks. Other countries like Italy, Spain, and France have already passed legislation to ban dangerously thin models with consequences for anyone who didn't adhere.
Many of the countries use BMI to determine is a model is of healthy weight, but Nelson feels it is not a good indicator.
“There are always going to be some people who are naturally that thin but for the majority, it is not a body shape that is attainable healthily," she explained. "And we have to bear in mind that many of the girls entering the industry are very young, and are very likely to want to do whatever it takes to succeed.”
