"Endangered Bodies", a non-profit organization, has collaborated with seven young activists all over the world to serve as ambassadors to push a petition established on Change.org.
The petition is for Facebook to get rid of the "feeling fat" status, People reported. One of the group's ambassadors is a playwright and graduate student in Ohio, Catherine Weingarten. She joined because she, herself, has struggled with having an eating disorder and is a firm believer that the phrase "I feel fat" could initiate harmful decisions.
"This issue is so important because being a young person, Facebook is kind of the way we live," Weingarten shared.
The playwright, who went through a series of therapies to manage anger and deal with those who make her feel like she is not good enough, believes that the Facebook emoticon could ignite self-destructive ideas. She wants people to actually understand that when the said status is expressed on the famed social media site, it should not be taken lightly. "
For me, when I see the words 'I feel fat,' it takes me back to when I was struggling, and I don't want people to not take it seriously," she added.
Facebook, according to reports, has noticed this call and has initiated a dialogue with Endangered Bodies; however, they tried to defend the emoticon. In a statement, the social network says that they are only giving people choices on how to express themselves with either the use of more than 100 pre-fabricated feelings or by creating their own. The petition has managed to gather more than 13, 000 signatures.