Spanish body positivity ad sparks anger over airbrushed prosthetic
A Spanish body positivity promotion has induced a wave of negativity amid complaints from Instagram models that their images had been used without permission, including one whose prosthetic leg was edited out.
Sian Green-Lord found that an edited image of herself was featured in the summer tourism campaign
Sian Green-Lord came forward with her complaint after being surprised to see herself featured in the summer tourism campaign, launched on Wednesday by Spain’s Equality Ministry.
Displayed prominently in the promotional image in a photo pilfered from Instagram, the model was shocked to see her prosthetic leg, the result of a 2013 car accident, had been erased.
Explaining her anger at having her image manipulated in this way, Green-Lord said: “I don’t even know how to even explain the amount of anger that I’m feeling right now ... I’m literally shaking, I’m so angry.
“It’s one thing using my image without my permission, but it’s another thing editing my body, my body with my prosthetic leg ... I don’t even know what to say but it’s beyond wrong.”
The poster image was created by Spanish artist Arte Mapache, who was commissioned to counter fatphobia and hatred on the beach by displaying a variety of confident women.
Unfortunately, permission was not sought in advance to use the model’s likeness, forcing the artist to publicly apologize and distribute her €4,490 fee to the people depicted.
The approach contrasts with a body-positive Sure ad depicting athletes who defy ingrained notions of idealized body types.