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Bonobo

(29,257 posts)
Fri Feb 27, 2015, 07:52 AM Feb 2015

Does THIS qualify as a 1st World Problem yet?

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/02/26/women-want-facebook-stop-asking-if-theyre-feeling-fat?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-02-26

Women Want Facebook to Stop Asking If They’re Feeling Fat

A Change.org petition hopes to get the social media platform to remove several body-shaming status update options.




Having “feeling fat” and “feeling ugly” as status update choices “promotes and supports the endless torrent of judgment and pressure to be perfect felt by young people across the world,” wrote Charlotte and Vicky on the petition. “We do enough comparing as it is, we don’t need a status update to make it even easier to feel bad about ourselves.”

Many users of Facebook simply type in a status update without taking advantage of all the buttons at the bottom of the input box. However, if you click on the smiling emoticon icon, the platform gives you the option to “add what you’re doing or feeling.” Most of the choices seem harmless—you can say you’re excited, sad, annoyed, even hungover. The emoticon’s face changes to reflect the emotion you choose.

The emoticon for “feeling fat” doesn’t look too happy, and it has a double chin. Meanwhile, the emoticon for “feeling ugly” seems to indicate that having a big nose, thick eyebrows, a mustache, and wearing glasses is unattractive.

The two activists note that the terms “fat” and “ugly” are ones that many teenagers use to describe themselves. Nowadays far too many teen girls spend their time obsessing over their waist size. According to the National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders, an astounding 47 percent of middle and high school–age girls have said that looking at images of models in magazines makes them want to be a smaller size. “It took years to stop attacking ourselves verbally, and once we finally thought things might be looking up, Facebook decided to push us right back down,” wrote Vicky and Charlotte on the petition.

So far nearly 7,000 people have signed the petition. Facebook has yet to respond.

7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Does THIS qualify as a 1st World Problem yet? (Original Post) Bonobo Feb 2015 OP
Facebook is shaming me by implying i'm the kind of person that uses an emoticon for a status update Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #1
Dean Wormer, izzat you? opiate69 Mar 2015 #6
I know zip about Facebook ProudToBeBlueInRhody Feb 2015 #2
Nope, I just checked. Men can choose that too. Bonobo Mar 2015 #4
Anyway I thought the whole point of the "fat acceptance" movement was to be proud of bein' fat. Warren DeMontague Mar 2015 #5
I think everyone who is STOMPIN', CHOMPIN' MAD re: this should cancel their monthly facebook payment Warren DeMontague Mar 2015 #3
... Major Nikon Mar 2015 #7

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
1. Facebook is shaming me by implying i'm the kind of person that uses an emoticon for a status update
Fri Feb 27, 2015, 08:55 AM
Feb 2015

Also DU's drunk and dunce smileys need to go. Stupidty and Alcoholism are NOT FUNNY

ProudToBeBlueInRhody

(16,399 posts)
2. I know zip about Facebook
Fri Feb 27, 2015, 10:50 AM
Feb 2015

So, apparently men aren't given this option of "fat" and "ugly" because only women are objecting.

Also, the ugly smilie has a mustache.

Bonobo

(29,257 posts)
4. Nope, I just checked. Men can choose that too.
Tue Mar 3, 2015, 01:34 AM
Mar 2015

I guess for some reason having to do with genitalia, it doesn't plague the minds of men to have the option of among about 50 or more "feelings" to choose "I feel fat".

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
5. Anyway I thought the whole point of the "fat acceptance" movement was to be proud of bein' fat.
Tue Mar 3, 2015, 07:31 PM
Mar 2015

In that vein wouldn't "I feel fat" be a statement of pride? The fat smiley is, after all, smiling.



Hmmm. One might think some people aren't really as thrilled with themselves, as they like to pretend online.

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
3. I think everyone who is STOMPIN', CHOMPIN' MAD re: this should cancel their monthly facebook payment
Mon Mar 2, 2015, 06:55 PM
Mar 2015

immediateleh!!!!

until facebook removes the offending fat smiley face as an option because you know options starts with "O" just like oppression amirite!?

Oh, yeah, except... facebook is free, which is even WORSE and more OPPRESSIN' FREEEEDUMB ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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