Three British ladies are annoyed by Spain's promotion promoting female beach bodies here's why
A few women have come forward to claim they were
included in the Spanish government's latest campaign without their knowledge or
consent, which features female bodies in a variety of shapes, sizes, and age
groups to promote body acceptance and inclusivity on the beach.
The aforementioned summer campaign to encourage women
to resist "stereotypes" and "aesthetical abuse" was
launched by Spain's Equality Ministry last week. This was done to counteract
the social pressure that many women experience in trying to live up to specific
beauty standards.
The campaign, which featured images of various body
types that should all be allowed to be flaunted on the beach, was initially
hailed as progressive and timely. However, the situation quickly became
problematical some women, particularly women of color came forward and claimed
their images had been used in the advertisement without their consent.
A cancer survivor and mastectomy patient named Juliet
FitzPatrick reportedly claimed that one of the women in the advertisement was modeled
after her. The 60-year-old claimed that one of her photographs may have
inspired the look of a woman who has had a mastectomy. However, she informed
the publication that the corpse in the image was not hers since FitzPatrick had
removed one of the woman's breasts.
What transpired "seems to go utterly
against" the campaign message, FitzPatrick told the BBC. It concerns how
my body has been utilized and represented without my consent, in my opinion.
The figure on the poster was likely inspired by one of
British photographer Ami Barwell's prior images of a lady, according to the
site. Barwell had previously taken a black and white portrait of FitzPatrick
showing off her surgical scars. According to a remark from Barwell, "I
think the person who created the art has gone through my gallery and stitched
things together," but "without any confirmation from the artist I
can't say for sure."
According to the report, Arte Mapache, the campaign's
developer, has expressed regret for using these pictures without authorization,
but two other women who came forward with similar complaints have denied this. Nyomi
Nicholas-Williams, a plus-size model, and Sian Green-Lord, whose prosthetic leg
was cut out, are two among them.
Nicholas-Williams expressed her "won't be quiet
about this" and "not even sorry" in a lengthy social media post.
Therefore, Juliet, a white woman, can only get an apology from the Spanish
government. But it seems Sian and I don't receive one. OK, good. Additionally,
they claimed in their "statement" that they had reached out to
everyone, yet they hadn't.
Green-Lord expressed her "deep sadness"
about the circumstance on Instagram as well. "This picture no longer
depicts me having a great time on my friend's hen...," she commented after
posting the original image on Facebook. Now, looking at this picture just makes
me feel so depressed
"Since I learned last Friday what was done to my
appearance, my confidence has never been lower, and my anxiety has never been
higher! She added, "My leg is nothing to be ashamed of! My regular
self-motivating strategies are failing me, and I'm now in a different place! It
is the result of tenacity, tenacity, and independence.
According to the BBC report, Arte Mapache wrote the
following in his apology letter: "Given the — justified — controversy over
the image rights in the illustration, I have decided that the best way to make
up for any harm that may have resulted from my actions is to split the money I
was paid for the work and give equal portions to the people in the poster. I
admit my mistakes and am working to undo the harm I have done in the hopes of
solving everything as quickly as possible.