The double-chinned emoji has been banned from Facebook after thousands of complaints.
Facebook have removed their “feeling fat” emoticon after a change.org petition called them out for perpetuating body image anxiety.
More than 16,000 people signed a petition asking the social media site to remove the emoticon as they believed it was insensitive to users who had experience eating disorders.
Catherine Weingarten led the U.S. campaign after she was scrolling through the social media site and saw a friend’s status set to “feeling fat.”
“I think it was supposed to be funny, but seeing this status made me feel angry… as someone who has struggled with and overcome disordered eating, I know what it’s like to ‘feel’ fat”, she wrote on the petitions website.
“Fat is not a feeling. Fat is a natural part of our bodies, no matter their weight. And all bodies deserve to be respected and cared for.”
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Weingarten said Facebook’s influence should not be dismissed.
“With 890 million users each day, it has the power to influence how we talk to each other about our bodies.”
In response to the thousands of complaints, Facebook removed the image yesterday.
“We’ve heard from our community that listing “feeling fat” as an option for status updates could reinforce negative body image, particularly for people struggling with eating disorders, a spokeswoman for the site said.
“So we’re going to remove “feeling fat” from the list of options. We’ll continue to listen to feedback as we think about ways to help people express themselves on Facebook.”
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However, the site said they will keep their “feeling stuffed” emoticon, which has the same puffy cheeks and double-chin.
“People use Facebook to share their feelings with friends and support each other,” Facebook previously told ABC.
“One option we give people to express themselves is to add a feeling to their posts. You can choose from over 100 feelings we offer based on people’s input or create your own.”
The site also provides resources to help users who notice their friends posting concerning content about eating disorders.
In response to Facebook removing the”fat” emoji, Weingarten told change.org, “as someone who struggled with body image, I feel so happy that I am eliminating one form of body shaming hatred on the internet.”
Top Comments
Sometimes you do feel fat. I felt fat after I ate a T-bone steak, chips and gravy the other day. I had to undo my belt. I find this all a bit precious.
How ridiculous!! I'm so sick of everything being so PC!