Your World. Your Stories. Everyday.

METEA MEDIA

Your World. Your Stories. Everyday.

METEA MEDIA

Your World. Your Stories. Everyday.

METEA MEDIA

Paralympians fail to get the respect they deserve

Graphic+by+Abir+Khan.
Graphic by Abir Khan.

During the Olympic Games, sports fans and TV viewers around the world were able to see the superhuman feats some athletes can accomplish— and the Paralympics are no exception. The Paralympic Games are a series of sports events just like the Olympics, but instead, involve athletes with a range of disabilities, including paraplegia, ataxia, and limb deficiency. Since the Olympic Games ended several weeks ago, campaigns have been going on to promote the upcoming Paralympics, which begin on Sept. 7. One recent campaign has received particular attention for publishing a questionable issue for their magazine.

Vogue Brazil found themselves the center of controversy when instead of photographing actual Paralympic athletes, they snapped a cover photo for their magazine using two completely able-bodied models who were photoshopped to appear as if they had disabilities. The woman on the cover, Cleo Pires, had her arm edited off, while the man, Paulo Vilhena, had a prosthetic leg photo shopped onto him.

People took to Twitter and other social media platforms to communicate their strong feelings about the representation. The caption of the cover photo, which reads “We are all Paralympians” sparked outrage. To compare able-bodied people with Paralympians is disrespectful to those who live with a disability. They deserve to be represented fairly, especially given the fact that the athletes have worked hard to be where they are now in the Games. A disability is not something that should be taken so lightly that it can be edited on for advertisement or commercial purposes. Instead of using their platform to showcase teams of elite athletes, the Brazilian edition of Vogue creates the message that the real Paralympic Games and athletes themselves are not interesting enough to promote.

On the other hand, some point out that the Paralympic athletes that the models were representing did not seem to have any issues being represented by able-bodied models; both Renato Leite and Bruna Alexandre were on set as the photo-shoot was taking place, and were even photographed with Pires and Vilhena during the session. However, what Vogue Brazil did cannot be justified just because the two athletes did not protest the decision.

People with disabilities already have such little representation in the media as it is. When it comes to the larger scale, like the Paralympics, the athletes should be given more acknowledgment and more respect because of how much they have accomplished, and for being an inspiration for so many of those sitting at home and watching.

View Comments (1)

Comments (1)

Thank you for adding your voice to the conversation. Please note that all comments are moderated. Metea Media will not publish comments if they contain the following:

▸ Rude or obscene language (i.e. swear words, sexual jokes, violent threats, etc.)
▸ Hate speech (i.e. racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.)
▸ Insults towards a specific student or a teacher
▸ Content that is irrelevant to the article or does not add to the discussion
▸ Submitting comments under somebody else's name

Refer to the student handbook for further specifics on what is considered appropriate.

The Social Media Editor will read and evaluate all comments. Should there be any issues with a particular comment, the Social Media Editor will consult the newspaper adviser and Online Editor-in-Chief.
All METEA MEDIA Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • K

    Killian KennySep 8, 2016 at 7:24 am

    It’s just sad that the special needs have had a blind eye turned to them again. Society needs to see that us special needs deserve just as much respect as any other person on this planet.

    Reply
Activate Search
Paralympians fail to get the respect they deserve