Spanish political group the Convergence and Union (CIU) has presented a proposal to the Government, urging them to take action against eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia in Spain.
The initiative proposes reinforcement of the computer offenses investigation team, to deal with unlawful website content relating to eating disorders. The proposal also requests that websites display the owner’s contact details, in order to identify those responsible and eliminate any harmful content.
Another important point of the proposal is to regulate catwalk models. They ask the industry not to hire extremely thin models and to redefine fashion sizes.
This proposal has been developed to deal with the increasing number of eating disorders in Spain and to consider the social circumstances that surround them.
CIU maintains that we have created a “social stereotype of extreme thinness linked with beauty and success.” In their opinion, this stereotype is “supported by magazines, advertisements and models, sending a deceitful message about diets and inviting women to loose weight and focus [negatively] on the body.”
I believe this is an important step in making the Spanish government aware of the need to deal with this growing problem. The debate should start now, and professionals from different fields should work together in order to find the best solutions, and in some cases regulations, for the issues discussed here.
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Post by Maria Llanos
Our voice from Spain! After graduating in Business Administration, María worked in marketing at L’oréal for almost 3 years. After this period, she decided to develop her creativity by studying an MA in Design Studies at Central Saint Martins, where she developed her thesis around the evolution of the ideal female beauty concept and got to know All Walks. Currently, María is working at a Communication agency in Madrid. Check out all of Maria Llanos’ posts for All Walks, and find her on Twitter @merillanos.
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Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte