VOGUE BRAZIL IS under fire for a ‘Paralympic’ photoshoot that doesn’t actually contain any actual Paralympians.

The people you see in the picture below are able-bodied Brazilian actors who have been Photoshopped to make it seem as though they are amputees.

Instagram / voguebrasil Instagram / voguebrasil / voguebrasil

The actors, Cleo Pires and Paulo Vilhena, are ambassadors of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee –  the photoshoot is part of a campaign to “raise visibility” of the Games, which begin on September 7.

Two Paralympians, Renato Leite and Bruninha Alexandre, provided the inspiration for the actors’ ‘disabilities’ and oversaw the photoshoot.

While the intention to raise visibility seems to be genuine, people are wondering why the athletes themselves weren’t featured in the campaign.

Richard Lane of the disability charity Scope told the Huffington Post that the decision is “hard to understand”:

The magazine has missed the perfect opportunity to celebrate Brazil’s talented Paralympians as sporting equals… The Paralympics is a time to challenge negative attitudes to disability.

Vogue Brazil are standing by their choices despite the backlash, telling Huffington Post that the campaign was created by the actors and the publicity agency Agencia Africa:

Vogue respects the opinions of readers who disagreed with the campaign format but reiterates its commitment to promote the importance of the Paralympic games.

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