Facebook bins ‘fat’ emoji amidst social media backlash
Facebook has been forced to delete a ‘fat’ status update from a roster of ‘feelings’ after coming under fire from members, outraged at the lumping together of a bodily condition with states of mind such as ‘amazed’, ‘low’ and ‘impatient’.
Created for members to tell others when they were feeling ‘fat’ from a set list of optional status updates (despite a ‘full’ option also in attendance) the insensitive icon sparked a backlash from users.
This saw tens of thousands back a change.org petition calling for an about turn after pointing out that ‘fat is not a feeling’ whilst also being offensive.
Petition organiser Catherine Weingarten, said: “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.
"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."
In response Facebook has canned the controversial adjective in favour of the more neutral ‘stuffed’, explaining that it was an effort to avoid reinforcing ‘negative body image’.