Will Banning Anorexic-looking Models from Fashion Runways Help with Women's Self-Image?

From our Grotta.net blog today...

France, the capital of the high-fashion industry, has banned skinny models who can't prove that they have a BMI (body mass index) of at least 18. To put that in real terms, a 5'7" woman who weighs 118 pounds would just squeak through with an 18 BMI. That's still very thin, just not anorexic. More importantly, it is supposedly the bare minimum body mass that can support good health.

Previously, some of the fashion organizations in Spain and Italy banned skinny models, and Israel has based a law against them. (The photo here is from an article about the Israeli law.)

Do you feel that these kinds of bans will help women in the general public feel better about themselves?Don't you think it would be much better if fashion shows used a wide diversity of women (and men) rather than homogeneous manikins?

(To read my ongoing series of essays on obesity, self-image, prejudice and social expectations, please go to http://www.grotta.net/blog.htm?tag=Obesity)

P.S. I understand that the image on the left is well-known as one that has been manipulated, putting a model's face on an anorexic body.