Endangered Bodies group uses online petition to call on Facebook to delete ‘feeling fat’ option

AN online petition has gone global, calling on Facebook to remove its ‘feeling fat’ emoji that users can use on their status update.

AN online petition has gone global, calling on Facebook to remove its ‘feeling fat’ emoji that users can use on their status update.

The petition hosted by Change.org, has close to its target of 15,000 followers already since it was launched around two weeks ago.

Originally set up by a group called Endangered Bodies, the petition states “fat is not a feeling”.

Catherine Weingarten from Endagered Bodies in Philadelphia, wrote: “Scrolling through Facebook the other day, I saw a friend’s status set to “feeling fat,” accompanied by an emoji with chubby cheeks and a double chin. 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. I have spent years of my life consumed with negative thoughts about my body, and far too many days starving myself in an effort to lose weight. But even worse than the skipped meals and the hours spent obsessing in front of the mirror was the fear of what others thought about me and my body.”

Standing up ... Catherine Weingarten from Endagered Bodies. Picture: Change.org

Ms Weingarten said that when Facebook users choose the “feeling fat” option, they “are making fun of people who consider themselves to be overweight, which can include many people with eating disorders”.

“That is not ok. Join me in asking Facebook to remove the “fat” emoji from their status options,” she wrote.

“Fat is a natural part of our bodies, no matter their weight. And all bodies deserve to be respected and cared for,” she added.

In closing, she asked for the social networking platform to “stop endorsing self-destructive thoughts through seemingly harmless emojis”.

The eight chapters of Endangered Bodies (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, England, Germany, Ireland, Mexico and the United States) and a local group in Colombia have come together for a global campaign, according to the organisation’s official blog.

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