Facebook defends “feeling fat” status in wake of petition
Social network giant Facebook is catching some heat for having “fat” as one of their how are you feeling status updates.
Non-profit organization Endangered Bodies has started a Change.org petition hoping to get Facebook to remove the emoji which features embarrassed rosy cheeks, a puffy circumference and even a double chin.
Graduate student and playwright Catherine Weingarten, chosen as 1 of 7 global ambassadors by Endangered Bodies, told People:
“This issue is so important because being a young person, Facebook is kind of the way we live… I always had this idea of ‘I’m fat,’ ‘I feel fat,’ but when I was saying that, that wasn’t actually how I was feeling. I was feeling angry at myself and like I wasn’t good enough, but I simplified it to ‘I feel fat.’ Through therapy, I was able to work through it, and now I feel like, ‘Wow I never felt fat. I felt like I wasn’t good enough.'”
As for Facebook – they issued the following statement:
“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.”
Do you think this petition has merit?
