Band-Aid Bills Undermine Body Image Issues

From iconic dolls to Parisian fashion magazines, the thin ideal is under attack. Politicians are finally getting in the fight, proposing bills to prevent poor body image. Which is fantastic, because this is serious issue desperately in need of support. But these government officials are getting it all wrong. While they waste time and money to pass vanity legislation, millions of girls and women are suffering.

In West Virginia, Delegate Jeff Eldridge has submitted a bill banning "Barbie dolls and other dolls that influence girls to be beautiful."  Even the creator admits that it is a ridiculous piece of legislation. He claims he only proposed it to draw attention to the state's declining education system. Apparently Eldridge doesn't realize that poor body image is indeed a serious issue affecting his constituents and their families. It is an issue that should be supported by our government, not belittled with insincere legislation.

Across the Atlantic, the politicians seem to take these matters a little more seriously. Since 2006 there have been several attempts to regulate the European fashion industry's negative influence on body image. Unfortunately none of it has had a significant impact, and the newest bill appears to be another futile move. The French National Assembly passed legislation that would make it illegal to incite extreme thinness or anorexia as Jen wrote about earlier this week here on Change.org. The idea is to curtail the use of thin models and excessively airbrushed photographs. As if such a simplistic approach will cure our cultural obsession with weight.

Whether they're serious attempts or PR stuns, these bills are band-aids that will do little to correct the massive wounds inflicted on women by our social standards.

If politicians truly want to make a difference on this issue, their first priority should be addressing the real issue, not participating in the blame game. One place to start is the lack of funding for eating disorder. In the U.S., eating disorders are twice as prevalent as Alzheimer's, with 10 million bulimics and anorexics compared to 4.5 million Alzheimer sufferers. Yet eating disorders receive only a quarter of the research funds.

This insufficient scientific attention leads to a lack of proper support in the health care industry. Insurance companies are notorious for their disregard of eating disorder, refusing to cover even the most basic medical and psychology treatments. Unable to afford in-patient care that routinely runs over $1,000 a day, many chronic sufferers do irreparable damage to their bodies, ultimately dying from a lack of adequate care.

We would be appalled if an Alzheimer patient was denied care. We spend billions on cancer research to help lifelong smokers. But we are willing to accept a ban on Barbie when it comes to fighting eating disorders? It is time we demand our government takes this issue seriously so our society can make positive steps towards a multi-faceted solution.