They’d better believe any publicity is good publicity.
Vogue Brazil has come under fire for a controversial campaign that sees disabilities Photoshopped onto able-bodied models in a bid to promote the Paralympics.
The fashion bible announced their collaboration with Paralympic ambassadors Cleo Pires and Paulo Vilhena on Friday in a campaign called “We Are All Special Olympics.”
The campaign shows stark pictures of them in sportswear against a white background with what appears to be their disabilities in full view.
However, the picture is actually a composite with the disabilities belonging to Brazilian table tennis player Bruninha Alexandre, who had her right arm amputated when she was just 3 months old, and volleyball player Renato Leite, who has a prosthetic leg.
The fact the athletes do not feature in the picture has got many fired up online, saying it is “ridiculous” they have used able-bodied models rather than the genuine athletes.
However, those involved aren’t fazed by the outcry, saying it has helped generate publicity for the event which was the goal all along.
“Participating in the campaign was an honor for me. The atmosphere in the studio was total happiness and pride,” said Vogue Brazil’s art director Clayton Carneiro.
“For those who do not know, the idea of the campaign came from the paralympic ambassador, Cleo Pires. We knew it would be a punch in the stomach, but we were there for a good cause, after all, almost no one bought tickets to see the Paralympic Games.”
Alexandre said she was proud to be part of the campaign and posted a picture of the smiling foursome on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJgyEKyj9Ab/
It’s not the first time Vogue has become the center of a Photoshop saga. In April, a picture of Victoria Beckham made headlines from Vogue China after it appeared that part of her thigh was missing — although others claimed it was just an optical illusion.
The Rio Paralympics start on Sept. 7.