Recently, ultra-skinny models have become restricted in Western countries for their social impact on younger generations. Dieting at a healthy body weight is one of the risk factors for eating disorders, and many studies have reported a role of the media in body image concerns among women and adverse influences on eating behaviors. After some ultra-skinny models died due to eating disorders in the 2000s, skinny models whose body weight index was under 18.5 were forbidden from appearing in fashion shows by the Italian government. Spanish and Israeli governments followed, and the French National Assembly also established a law to restrict unhealthily thin models in 2015. Some other governments have addressed this problem differently, but there are no similar acts in Japan, and ultra-skinny models continue to appear on TV, and in fashion magazines and fashion shows. As individuals involved in a famous fashion show stated that there are no ultra-skinny models in Japan, there is a low awareness of this issue in the fashion industry, which is of medical concern. The Japanese Society of Eating Disorders launched a working group regarding the restriction on ultra-skinny models to prevent eating disorders in 2016. In this report, the details of restrictions on ultra-skinny models in Western countries are reviewed and future directions for this problem in Japan are discussed.
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