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How thin is too thin? Fashion photographer turns over new leaf, launches campaign against anorexia
HAIFA (JTA) - He is merely a photographer, but to thousands of Israeli teenagers Adi Barkan is an idol, the gatekeeper to fame and money.
They'll do anything to get his attention, to have his camera capture their image. They'll certainly lose a few pounds to do so - sometimes too many pounds.
Now Barkan, 45, Israel's No. 1 fashion photographer, has reversed course. The man who discovered some of Israel's top models, such as Sandy Bar and Natalie Raz, has initiated a campaign against being too thin.
Barkan has joined ranks with Likud Party legislator Inbal Gavrieli, who has tabled a bill demanding that models not be employed without a doctor's certification that they're not underweight.
It's a battle against one of the most common mental disorders in the Western world anorexia nervosa, the intense fear of gaining weight followed by crush diets and distaste for any food.
"The number of girls who suffer from anorexia in our small country is unbelievable," Barkan told JTA. "Some 98 percent of the girls who came to my auditions reported they were dieting," and nearly 14 percent were anorexic.
So Barkan publicized a small ad last summer in a local Haifa newspaper inviting girls to show up for a modeling competition called "Healthy Look." Only girls approved by the Health Ministry dietician on hand were allowed to compete in the final stage.
Eating...