Adi Barkan () is an Israeli

model agent A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided into ...

and activist who has campaigned for legislation banning the use of

anorexic Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

models. Barkan started his career as a

fashion photographer Fashion photography is a genre of photography that portrays clothing and other fashion items. This sometimes includes haute couture garments. It typically consists of a fashion photographer taking pictures of a dressed model in a photographic stu ...

Biography

Barkan worked as a fashion photographer for fifteen years in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, before returning to Israel in 1998 to open his own

modeling agency A modeling agency is a company that represents model (person), fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agen ...

in Tel Aviv. Barkan, who worked with

Elite Model Management Elite Model Management (MM) is a modeling agency that originated in Paris in 1972. In 2004, the agencies in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Toronto separated and formed Elite Model Management North America. Elite MM is a subsidiary of El ...

, discovered a number of models including

Sendi Bar Sendi Bar (sometimes Sandy Bar; ; born April 5, 1976) is an Israeli actress and model. Sendi Baranes () was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her father is a Libyan Jew, whereas her mother is Israeli-born and of Moroccan Jewish descent. Career Bar ...

. In 2001 he started publishing the "Bikini" magazine, which mostly featured photographs of models in swimsuits. It was heavily promoted through advertisement on bus stops, although it was discontinued after less than year due to low sales and public outcry about its indecency. After speaking on television about his experience with model

Hila Elmalich Ilanit Hila Elmalich (; 14 November 1973 – 14 November 2007) was an Israeli fashion model

, an anorexic woman whom he rushed to hospital after she collapsed and who later died, Barkan was deluged by telephone calls from girls and young women with anorexia. This experience persuaded him to require all of his models to submit to

body mass index Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (Mass versus weight, weight) and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the human body weight, body mass divided by the square (algebra), square of the human height, body height, and is ...

(BMI) exams to demonstrate their physical

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

and lack of an

eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...

. Working with

Member of Knesset Lists of Knesset members cover members of the Knesset of Israel. They are organized by session, by ethnicity and by position. By session * List of members of the first Knesset (1949–51) * List of members of the second Knesset (1951–55) * L ...

Inbal Gavriely, he successfully submitted legislation to the Israeli

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

in December, 2004, requiring all modeling agencies in Israel to use the BMI exam, making Israel one of the first countries to pass such a bill. Subsequently, an agency will not be allowed to continue representing a model unless she submits to a health test every three months and receives higher than 18.5 BMI. Any agency that does not comply will be fined accordingly and all forms will be monitored by the Israeli Health Ministry. The campaign has received backing by both the Ministry of Health and The Israeli Center for Eating Habits Reform, while additionally, more than 30 Israeli CEOs have agreed to only hire models who have passed the health exam for their advertisements. The Law for Restricting Weight in the Modeling Industry, passed in 2012, sets limits on both the employment of ultra-thin models and the use of Photoshop in advertising. In November 2013, Barkan launched the Simply-You campaign to increase awareness of the effect of the fashion industry on body self-image. A 12-lesson program was devised for models to teach them about proper nutrition and how to maintain their weight at healthy levels. Shortly after the launch of the Simply You campaign, H&M was the first company to ever admit using too skinny models in their campaigns. In 2015, Barkan was chosen to deliver a TED talk on the subject. As part of the RealUnreal Project, Barkan travels around the country to create awareness among IDF soldiers, male and female, on the subject of eating disorders.Newest enemy of female soldiers: Eating Disorders
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Biography

See also