Publishing pictures of ultra-thin models and sending messages that beauty is only on the outside will soon be frowned upon thanks to a new ethics code for the mass media, the government said Monday.
Launching a national plan for the prevention of body image illnesses, Health Minister Livia Turco and Youth Minister Giovanna Melandri said the code was crucial to stopping the spread of anorexia and bulimia in Italy.
''The spread of these diseases is disconcertingly fast and there is no other example of such a widely suffered psychiatric illness, especially among the young,'' said Turco.
Around two million people in Italy are currently suffering from anorexia or bulimia, with men increasingly affected by the diseases.
While men accounted for just 1% of sufferers five years ago they now make up 10% of people with body image illnesses, according to government figures.
National plan coordinator Laura Della Ragione called this phenomenon 'big-orexia', since many men become anorexic as a side-effect of trying to bulk up to achieve the perfect body rather than because of any desire to become thin.
''These men are trying to increase muscle mass and eliminate the fat, but to do this they eat less and less and they take drugs, resulting in anorexia,'' she explained.
''The sense of shame among men is very strong, which means diagnosis and treatment for the condition comes very late - often with devastating results,'' she added.
Melandri and Turco said that blame for the spread of body image illnesses should be laid at the feet of ad men, television executives, journalists and other information providers who frequently reinforce unhealthy stereotypes of beauty ''identified with extreme thinness''.
''Anorexia and bulimia are problems first and foremost linked to psychology and to the relationship young people have with their identities,'' Turco said.
''For that reason I think it's very important to have an ethics code that should be respected by the mass media and the world of advertising,'' she added.
In addition to the code, the national plan includes the reinforcement of a network of residential centres to help people suffering from anorexia and bulimia, awareness projects for teachers, parents and children, and a direct appeal to the slimming industry to monitor the messages they send out to young people.
The new initiatives are set to get under way in April.
Melandri also urged parents and teachers to talk to children more in an effort to prevent the illnesses from taking hold.
''Behind the lack of appetite for food there is often a lack of appetite for life,'' she said.
The Italian fashion industry adopted an unofficial ethics code in 2006 in an effort to do their bit in the fight against anorexia and bulimia.
A number of Italian stylists, agents and photographers have signed up, agreeing not to use under-age models and requiring medical certification before they appear in shows.
Models must have a body mass that falls under the 'normal' range of the World Health Organization index, according to the code.
Melandri added on Monday that the new government should look in to making the ethics code legally binding.
