A storm has erupted around one of the world's biggest fashion magazines as they have featured a Paralympian spread in their new issue - using able-bodied models who have been PHOTOSHOPPED.

Vogue Brazil's new issue was apparently intending to celebrate disabled athletes ahead of the Paralympics beginning on September 7.

But instead of featuring some of the many athletes who have trained to compete at the games, the magazine has featured two able-bodied models and used photo editing software them to make them appear to be amputees.

The magazine tweeted a shot from the spread to its 1.06million followers on Wednesday saying: "The campaign with [models] Cleo Pires and Paulinho Vilhena".

Vogue has added the hashtag #SomosTodosParalímpicos, meaning 'we are all Paralympians'.

Cleo Pires took to Instagram to share an image of a picture which she says inspired the campaign, featuring Bruna Alexandre, a 17-year-old table tennis player who lost her arm when she was three years old.

The image of Bruna is similar to the image Vogue Brazil has shared of Cleo, missing the same arm.

Cleo wrote: "As ambassador of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee I feel honoured to represent Bruna in this campaign endorsed by the Paralympic Committee and the Brazilian Paralympic athletes."

Paulinho Vilhena is also an ambassador of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, and, as the Vogue Brazil piece explains, he is given the body of sitting volleyball player Renato Leite in the shoot.

Clayton Carneiro, art director of Vogue Brazil, said: "Participating in the campaign was an honor for me. The atmosphere in the studio was total happiness and pride.

"Paulinho Vilhena and Cleo Pires made ​​a beautiful speech before we started shooting that moved everyone involved. And for those who do not know, the idea all of the campaign was the ambassador of Paralimpiadas, Cleo Pires."

She added: "We knew it would be a punch in the stomach, but we were there for a good cause, after all, almost no one bought tickets to see the Paralympic games."

Despite that explanation, many Twitter users were unhappy with the Vogue Brazil approach.

'K' wrote: "We need to end Vogue. This s*** is out of control, they're pathetic now. They are not disabled."

Another user, Jewelly76, wrote: "How frivolous can Vogue Brazil be, digitally altering models to look like Paralympians."

Mr G added an image of some of Brazil's Paralympians alongside the shoot, tweeting: "Vogue Brazil photoshopping able bodied models... because Paralympians just don't look good enough?!"