It wasn't that long ago that the Unicode Consortium, the brain behind our beloved emojis, created an option for different skin tones. While addressing one major issue of representation, it appears that it missed another: Where are all the redheads?
Go ahead and check your phone. Even with the latest iOS 11.1 update, you'll notice a handful of blondes, several brunettes, and even an emoji with the default yellow hair. After what feels like thousands of phone updates — and emojis no one asked for — users are perplexed that somehow red hair is still not a foreseeable option. Naturally, they took their complaints to Twitter.
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I woke up this morning after my phone had been updating during the night, full of excitement. But STILL NO REDHEAD EMOJI #injustice
— Jordan Meaker (@jordanmeaker) November 3, 2017
I said it before and I'll say it again. If Apple can animate my face like the poop emoji, they can make a damn redhead emoji.
— Sally Jung (@sallyjung) November 3, 2017
Well, it looks like the Unicode Consortium heard our rallying tweets: A red hair emoji is coming soon, along with a handful of other emojis — including a superhero, a swan, and a microbe — so the future of the language is looking bright. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's be clear: The list of emoji candidates means that the illustrations could still be amended or swapped.
Of course, as the news began to trickle down, redheads everywhere were ecstatic and ready to celebrate. "Redheads our time has come at last," one wrote.
Confirmation that a redhead emoji will be rolled out in 2018 has also come with confirmation that there'll be a swan emoji and I'm not sure how to feel about that. #preciousswan
— Emily Beeson (@boogiemargaret) November 3, 2017
Me: hi can we possibly get a redhead emoj—
— Ingrid Miller (@ingridmillerr) November 1, 2017
Apple: WIZARD EMOJI!!! IN EVERY SHADE!!! pic.twitter.com/TqQDAJD4Im
REDHEADS OUR TIME HAS COME AT LAST! #redheademoji https://t.co/spISMNBkbg
— Evin Michaels (@evinmichaels) November 3, 2017
But this isn't the only good news. It appears that the Unicode is finally recognising that there are a lot of hair types not represented, and it looks like it might add curly hair to the keyboard as well. Not only that, but you might also be seeing some bald emojis in your group chat very soon, too. Lift your praise hands (or high-five, depending on how you look at it) emojis to that.
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