After too many complaints from activists on Change.org, Facebook decided to remove it icon "feeling fat" as reported by Washington Post.
A spokesperson Facebook stated, "We heard from our community that choosing 'feeling fat' in status updates could reinforce the negative image of body, ιδιαίτερα στους people who have eating disorders. So catslowselect “feeling fat” from the list of emoticons options. We'll continue to listen to feedback and think of ways to help people express themselves on Facebook.”
The "feeling fat" option is no longer available, but the smiley face with plump cheeks still exists, now marked "feeling stuffed".
This move was a response to the reports launched by his activists Endangered Bodies, a group that opposes malicious body comments at an international level.
Catherine Weingarten justified her request by saying, "When Facebook users use 'feeling fat', they're making fun of people who think they're overweight, which includes a lot of people with eating disorders."
Weingarten reported that according to TNW the change.org user support 17.000.
But the fact that there is still another choice of the same emoticon referred to as "feeling stuffed" raises questions. Why is the emoticon still available, especially after Weingarten complained that she found the "feeling fat" emoticon quite aggressive?
Rather than changing its name, the most popular social network thinks it has solved the problem.
