Vogue Brazil Cops It For Paralympic Pic W/ Retouched Able-Bodied Actors

In a decision that was poorly-executed at best and needlessly misrepresentative at worst, Vogue Brazil decided to hype up the nation’s upcoming Paralympic Games by… Photoshopping able-bodied actors so they appeared to be amputees.

As you might be able to infer by how obviously questionable that decision was, the publication has drawn quite a bit of flak since posting the doctored image of actors Cleo Pires and Paulo Vilhena to its Instagram account:

A photo posted by Vogue Brasil (@voguebrasil) on

Just because some context is needed to make sense of this mess, Vogue Brazil commissioned the image as part of its “We are all Paralympians” campaign. With some help from ol’ mate Google Translate, the image’s caption claims the shot intends to “highlight the relevance of Brazilian disabled athletes,” and asserts the nation’s Paralympic Committee is behind the campaign.
That hasn’t stopped punters from criticising the seemingly illogical decision not to, you know, use actual models with physical disabilities, or even to just feature some of the athletes in question:
Former Canadian Paralympic equestrian competitor Marnie Payne also chipped in, labelling the image “offensive & disgusting”:
However, at least two current Paralympians have come to the defense of the image. Table tennis competitor Bruna Alexandre, who was on deck when the photoshoot took place, said in her own Instagram post that “I have been clear that I am so proud to be part of this campaign.”
In a Facebook post, wheelchair tennis athlete Natália Mayara also came out in support of the campaign. She wrote it intends to “show between us and them the only difference [is] physical,” and that using popular actors makes sense from a publicity standpoint.

Despite the public outcry, publicity for the Paralympic Games is most definitely a worthy cause. Hot tip: check out the powerlifting when the games kick off on September 7. Few people on planet Earth, able-bodied or not, can shift as much goddamn iron as these absolute legends:

Source: Daily Dot.
Photo: Vogue Brazil / Instagram.

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