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Facebook Removes “Feeling Fat” Emoji in Response to Petition

Catherine Weingarten was browsing Facebook one day when she noticed a status update with a puffy-cheeked emoji that read "feeling fat."

The Philadelphia resident had overcome what she calls "disordered eating" in her Change.org petition that called on the social media giant to remove the emoji, because, as she wrote, "fat is not a feeling."

More than 16,000 people nationwide have signed Weingarten's petition, which was filed with nonprofit Endangered Bodies. The hashtag #fatisnotafeeling has been adopted to discuss the topic on Twitter, according to Mashable

Facebook has responded by removing the emoji.

"We've heard from our community that listing 'feeling fat' as an option for status updates could reinforce negative body image, particularly for people struggling with eating disorders," reads a statement from Facebook. "So we’re going to remove 'feeling fat' from the list of options. We'll continue to listen to feedback as we think about ways to help people express themselves on Facebook."

There is a new emoji in place for the fallen "feeling fat." It's called "feeling stuffed."

However, a similar Change.org petition from Australia with more than 16,000 signatures urging Facebook to remove the "I feel fat" and "I feel ugly" status options has not received a response from the company despite receiving media attention from the Washington Post, Glamour and Cosmopolitan.

"Still no response from Facebook. Help me give them a reason to take this seriously!" Rebecca Guzelian, who also filed with Endangered Bodies, wrote in a petition update on Sunday.

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