A disabled woman was left horrified after discovering that her photo had been used on a campaign poster without permission — and that her prosthetic leg had apparently disappeared.
Sian Green-Lord lost her limb when she was hit by a taxi while visiting New York in 2013.
A plumber nearby witnessed the crash and used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet.
Meanwhile, a pizza truck owner ran to put her severed foot on ice.
The then 24-year-old’s leg was later amputated due to the severity of her injuries.
Since the crash, Sian has become an advocate for people with disabilities, using her social media to share her journey with a prosthetic leg.
She has worked as a motivational speaker and starred in documentaries.
Sian first learned she was involved in the scandal that plagued the Spanish government when her friend pointed to the poster.
Officials had a poster made to promote body positivity but used photos of several influencers without permission.
Not only is an edited image of Sian on the poster, but her prosthetic limb does not appear in the finished product.
Sian took to Instagram to express her anger and confusion over the situation.
“I don’t even know how to explain the amount of anger I’m feeling right now,” the Leicester influencer said in an Instagram story.
She added: ‘One of my friends has just brought to my attention that the Spanish government is using my image for a body positivity campaign, but they have removed my prosthetic leg.
“I’m literally shaking, I’m so angry I don’t even know where to start to explain this and how it actually makes me feel.
“There’s one thing that uses my image without my permission, but it’s another thing to work my body with my prosthetic leg.
“It’s more than wrong.”
The campaign poster is published by the Women’s Institute – part of the Spanish Ministry of Equality – and is entitled ‘Summer is ours too’.
It featured five women of different body types and backgrounds. A woman on the poster has had a mastectomy.
On Thursdays, Metro.co.uk spoke to Nyome Nicholas-Williams, known as Curvy Nyome on Instagram, who shared her shock to find out she was also featured.
She didn’t hear about the campaign until her aunt sent her a message to congratulate her.
She told Metro.co.uk that the incident was a reminder to her “that as a black woman my body is still controlled and as women in general our bodies are still not ours”.
She added: “I had no control over how my body was used in the image, so I was very sad at first. Then I felt really angry.’
“I really wish I recognized the rest of the women because we could have united as the Spice Girls and taken on the Spanish government,” she added.
Metro.co.uk has attempted to contact the Ministry of Equality and the artist behind the illustration for comment.
In a statement earlier this week, the Women’s Institute in Spain said the campaign was “a response to fat phobia, hatred and the questioning of non-normative bodies – especially women’s, which is most prevalent in the summer”.
The artist behind the poster has also publicly apologized, stating that she had used the women as a source of inspiration and never intended to “misuse” their images.
She said: “Given the – justified – controversy over the image rights in the illustration, I have decided that the best way to make up for the damage that may have resulted from my actions is to use the money I received for the work. and give equal shares to the people on the poster.’
The artist also disputed claims that the commissioned campaign poster was worth €84,000 (£70,500).
She said the fee was $4,490.
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