TWO friends spearheaded a successful global campaign to get Facebook to remove “I feel fat” from a list of status options.

Despite being dismissed as petty by critics, the petition received worldwide support and has collected more than 16,000 signatures since its launch on Wednesday, February 25.

The social network removed the option on Tuesday, March 10 following accusations it promotes body shaming among young people.

University of Brighton student Vicky Chetley, 21, who fronted the UK campaign with fellow activist and student Charlotte King, 22, said: “It was so wonderful to wake up to the news that Facebook has removed the fat emoticon.

“I was outraged when I realised they offered the ‘I feel fat’ and ‘I feel ugly’ options. It drew me right back to the headspace of being in high school and how negatively I treated my body.

“This petition may be a small step, but for many young people who grew up feeling like I did, it feels like a much bigger one.”

Miss King, who struggled with mental health issues and an eating disorder as a teenager, said: “Fat is not a feeling, it’s an adjective.

“It describes a substance in your body, in animals and in food, so how they used it was wrong.

“If you’ve had an amazing meal and you feel content, you say ‘I feel full’, but that word is being confused with ‘fat’. It’s not a negative word, but no one ever says they feel fat in a positive way.

“This won’t change the world but hopefully it will have a knock-on effect.”

Campaigners at Any Body UK, which is part of global charity Endangered Bodies, will now try to persuade Facebook to ditch the “I feel ugly” option.

Dr Megan Hurst, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Brighton, said: “Research suggests that social media can encourage increased appearance comparisons and, as a result, greater body dissatisfaction and an increased focus on women’s appearance.

“‘Fat talk’ is common in the UK and US. It has very negative effects on both the person speaking about their body and those who read their comments.

“Such discussion can encourage us to view body dissatisfaction and its consequences, like excessive exercise or restricted food intake, as normal. It becomes odd to be happy with one’s body.”

A statement released by Facebook said: “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. 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.”