Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. skinny (adj.) [skin-ee] – very thin
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. skinny (adj.) [skin-ee] – very thin
Example: Her niece eats only
crackers so she is skinny.
2. prohibit (v.) [proh-hib-it] – to stop something from
being done or used
Example: Parents must prohibit their children from watching
too much television during school days.
3. disorder (n.) [dis-awr-der] – an illness
that causes a part of the body to stop functioning correctly
Example: She is suffering from
a mental disorder that makes her
afraid of people.
4. compensation (n.) [kom-puhn-sey-shuhn] – a
payment for damage or trouble done on someone
Example: Customers who
received damaged products asked for compensation.
5. deterrent (n.) [dih-tur-uhnt, -tuhr-, -ter-] - a thing that
makes someone less likely to do something
Example: The presence of police
is a deterrent against robbery.
Article
Read the text below.
Skinny models are now a
thing of the past in Israel after the country passed a law which prohibits advertisers from using
overly thin models.
Under the new law,
known as the Photoshop Law, models with a body mass index (BMI) lower than
18.5 cannot appear in ads. The law also demands that advertising agencies
include a notice on each advertisement if they have used digital methods to
make models appear thinner.
The Israeli
parliament’s Research and Information Center said that each year, around
1,500 Israeli children and teenagers suffer from eating disorders, causing worry among parents and lawmakers. According
to the data, media images of models who look unhealthy have shaped the
concept of beauty among young Israelis and have led to their wanting to be
very thin.
Although
advertisers who violate the law are not considered criminals, the law allows
parents to demand compensation
from advertising companies if the parents believe that some ads influenced their
children to have eating disorders.
Lawmakers believe
the law in itself can serve as a deterrent
against further harm to the health of young people.
While many people
from the modeling industry are happy with this development, some argue that the
law is unfair to models that are naturally thin but healthy, as the law
prevents these models from getting jobs.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
How can advertisements affect people?
·
Do you think
advertisements influence the choices you make when you buy? Please explain your
answer.
Discussion B
·
Should the
government prohibit the showing of advertisement with skinny models during
children's TV programs? What do you think about this?
·
How can adults
protect young people from misleading advertisements?
