Social networking site Facebook will soon be removing the ‘Feeling Fat’ emoticon from the site after it received several complaints. Facebook faced criticisms from some of the anti-body shaming groups.
A petition was written by Catherine Weingarten and the group Endangered Bodies which said, “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”. The petition from Catherine and the group added that the status makes fun of people who consider themselves as overweight and also target those who are suffering from eating disorder. The groups have expressed concerns that such emoticons will make the young people feel that using the terms like ‘fat’ or ‘ugly’ are considered as normal and regular.
Even Change.org has actively protested the removal of the emoticon saying that it is a negative expression and promotes the hashtag of #FatIsNotaFeeling on Facebook as well as the micro blogging site Twitter. The social network initially rejected the petition but when it received several petitions and protests it decided to take it off.
However, the emoticon will not be actually removed but will have a different status of ‘Feeling Stuffed’. The removal of the emoticon has emerged as a victory for the groups who demanded the removal and filed the petition.
Photo Credits: opposingviews
