Home
Social networking
Social networking News
Activists Want 'Feeling Fat' Status and Emoji Removed From Facebook

Activists Want 'Feeling Fat' Status and Emoji Removed From Facebook

By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 9 March 2015 15:30 IST

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

An online petition that asks Facebook to remove a "feeling fat" status and emoji from status-update options has been doing the rounds.

The Change.org petition has sparked a debate over whether the social network is promoting body-shaming, Mashable reported.

"Feeling fat" currently appears as one of many preset options included in Facebook's dropdown list of status updates.

Endangered Bodies, the group behind the initiative, wants the status and accompanying emoji removed because they believe it encourages body-shaming and "self-destructive thoughts".

"When Facebook users set their status to 'feeling fat,' they are making fun of people who consider themselves to be overweight, which can include many people with eating disorders," according to the petition.

"That is not OK. 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," it read.

The two-week-old petition has more than 14,000 signatures. On Twitter, the hashtag #fatisnotafeeling is also being used by people who are upset by the status option.

"People use Facebook to share their feelings with friends and support each other. 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," a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying by Mashable.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.