Facebook emoticons have been very much popular in recent times, and users make use of them to express various emotions. But now it seems that not every emoticon is equally useful, and some can be offensive. One such emoticon is “feeling fat,” which has attracted mass opposition from a group called Endangered Bodies.
Offensive to some
There is a campaign running against the emoticon that’s called “Fat is not a feeling.” A petition has been launched by the group against the emoticon on Charge.org, and more than 13,000 people have signed it in just two weeks of its launch.
A video posted on the website of the group Endangered Bodies said that such emoticons lead youths, who live under the constant pressure of looking perfect, into depression.
In support of its petition, a member of the Endangered Bodies group, Catherine Weingarten, says that the status “feeling fat” used on the social network is offensive to those who are overweight. This is so because many people falling under the category suffer from eating disorders, hence, it is not ethically right to make fun of them in such a manner.
Weingarten said Facebook should change it to “feeling bloated” to better put the meaning across, as the term “fat” is more representative of body fat and weight rather than feeling.
Facebook has no plans to delete it
A Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) spokesperson told The Washington Post that the social network has no plans of doing away with the option immediately.
“People use Facebook to share their feelings with friends and support each other,” the spokesperson said, adding “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.”
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) introduced the “feeling” status feature in 2013. The social network has another emoticon, “feeling stuffed,” which is among the 100 other “feelings” that can be used by a Facebook user. Facebook also offers tools to report abuse and concerns around bullying, and the company recently rolled out a feature to help a user raise a red flag if any of their friends are posting suicidal thoughts.
