When they talk about fashion in Paris, the world listens. Lets see if that remains1 the case when the conversation is about skinny models. France has unexpectedly adopted a law making it a criminal offence to employ very thin women on the catwalk.

The law, which is part of a broader Health Bill, requires models to show they have a Body Mass Index above a particular level. The World Health Organisation2 says people whose BMI is below 18.5 are underweight and at risk of being malnourished.

And the buck3 sTOPs with modelling agents. They face fines and six months in jail if they break the rules.

The proposal was tabled by Olivier Veran, an MP who is also a neurologist. He said: This will help protect our adolescents at risk, because teenagers are under social pressure from the image these models convey to always be thinner and thinner.

The measure tries to address the issue of body image in a country where an estimated 40,000 people suffer from anorexia4. And 90% of those affected5 are women and girls.

But the fashion industry is not happy. Their arguments against the ban question the health case but also say its bad for business. Frances agencies union Synam says that the law confuses anorexia with some peoples natural tendency to be very thin. It also says: French model agencies are constantly in competition with their European counterparts. As a result, a European approach is essential.

Frances new law may make fashionistas finally sTOP and think about the unhealthy side of the industry, but the country is not a pioneer when it comes to imposing6 limits on models weight. Israel adopted a similar ban in 2013 and Spain and Italy have set some voluntary standards on the issue.