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Comment by aspaviento | Hacker News Reader

Since we are on topic, anybody has a suggestion for an icon that represents body fat without representing an overweighted person?

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An M in the shape of two large arcs. ;)

The Noun Project has a few options that might work (most don't meet your requirements), including a couple showing a lean person with arrows by the midsection instead: https://thenounproject.com/search/?q=body%20fat

Thank you for your suggestion. It's not exactly what I look for but it can help me as inspiration.

How about the words "body fat" ?

A caliper, percent sign, stylized bacon, a person with a double outline, bubbles?

You can use a icon just to rappresent fat (like this one https://www.flaticon.com/premium-icon/fat_1951542) and put it next to a person like a emblem in a similar way to this:

https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/2740474/personal_protection...

hope i did convey the idea.

edit: You should probably use a icon like this one https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/830113/character_figure_man... for the person instead the one i linked, since showing only the head instead of the entire body is not very clear (i used that one only for explain the emblem idea)

The problem of using words in an icon is that it only means anything for the people who speak that language.

you're right! The icon i selected was an example, i intended to use the drop like shape, without the word. I now realize it wasn't at all clear.

But even without the text it still has some problems, since without context you may think it mean body hydratation level or blood, unless you use colors (yellow, blue and red ) to distinguish between them, but even then, they are not always available/possible and pose accessibility problems, for visually impaired (is the correct word?) etc...

you could also use the text, if you target a specific locale, or also localizing the icons may make sense.

Since i don't know where this icons will be used i don't know what the best solution and i don't have a perfect solution.

I hope I have explained myself better.

edit: grammar

Don't worry, I get what you mean. Thank you for your suggestions (I really don't know why you got downvoted. It wasn't a perfect solution but I don't think it deserved to be downvoted). My idea was something like some bubbles under skin or some fat in a cell but none of those clearly represent body fat, hence my question :)

The context is for a fitness app.

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