Aquarium apologizes for sea otter tweet perceived as body-shaming
/ CBS/AP
California's Monterey Bay Aquarium has apologized after some people perceived a tweet about a sea otter as body-shaming. The aquarium on Tuesday tweeted a picture of Abby, an otter who helps train orphaned otters how to survive in the wild.
The tweet featured social media words and phrases such as "thicc," "c h o n k" and "OH LAWD SHE COMIN" which are often used to describe someone who is overweight.
Abby is a thicc girl
What an absolute unit
She c h o n k
Look at the size of this lady
OH LAWD SHE COMIN
Another Internetism ! pic.twitter.com/s5fav2gu09— Monterey Bay Aquarium (@MontereyAq) December 18, 2018
People took offense. The aquarium on Wednesday tweeted a multi-part apology that it called a "learning moment." It called the tweets problematic and offensive.
The aquarium said it was unaware of the connotations associated with some of the memes.
"If our tweet alienated you, please know that we are deeply sorry, and that we offer our sincerest apologies," the aquarium said.
First published on December 21, 2018
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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