In July 2022, the Spanish government launched a campaign featuring five people of different body types, promoting the message that "Every body is a beach body." The aim of the campaign was to support body positivity and inclusivity; Antonia Morillas, head of the Spanish women’s institute and the organisation behind the initiative, said that physical expectations affected women’s self-esteem and denied them their rights. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that the people whose images had been used in the campaign had not given their consent or been credited or paid in any way. Nyome Nicholas-Williams' image was used and edited for the campaign without her awareness. Siân Green-Lord's image was used for the campaign without her awareness, including the editing of her prosthetic leg, effectively erasing her disability. Juliet Fitzpatrick, who underwent a double mastectomy, had her image used without her awareness and a single breast was edited on to her likeness.

There was a backlash to the campaign; the public in both the UK and Spain clearly felt it was wrong for the images to have been used without consent or payment and manipulated in these ways. However, after an initial flurry of media attention, the spotlight moved away. Nyome Nicholas-Williams' lawyers have since worked tirelessly to engage the Spanish government in a discussion about the campaign but have been completely shut down. There are no further paths forward legally and the image is still out there. Anyone Googling the campaign will easily find the initial praise and admiration that the campaign received but have to dig deep to discover the reality behind it.

A campaign which was supposedly intended to boost women's self-esteem and give them their rights has done the exact opposite. The people in the campaign have had their images taken, manipulated and put on a global stage without their consent. It is clear that this is absolutely wrong, and yet the Spanish government has used their power to simply ignore the situation. All legal avenues have been exhausted and it is clear that the only way forward is through further media attention.

Please sign and share this petition, tagging @instmujeres and any news organisations, particularly in the UK and Spain, in order to put pressure on the Spanish government through increased media attention.