Curly-Haired Emojis Are Finally Here!

iPhone users collectively went crazy over the latest update — mainly for the new emojis. Not only are different complexions represented, now we've got tacos, unicorns, and a middle-finger icon (already in our most-used section). But women with non-straight hair might've noticed something still missing from their keyboard: an emoji that looks like them. In an age where 74% of people use emojis daily (reports Dove) and more and more women are beginning to embrace their naturally curly hair, you'd think those in the tech world would get with it — but nope. Well, Dove is taking matters into its own hands and releasing a host of new curly-haired emojis. As an extension of the brand's Love Your Curls mission (complete with an adorable, inspiring video which is a must-watch. Seriously, watch it. Now), Dove is making sure all hair is represented when speaking in the all too common digital dialect. “Emojis are a language of pictures, so when people use that language, they want a symbol that offers them the choice of their individual image, style, or personality," explains Sali Tagliamonte, Dove Language Expert and Professor of Linguistics at University of Toronto. "The diversity of emojis need to reflect the diversity of our population today, where more than one in three women in the U.S. have curly hair.” That diversity goes beyond solely throwing some curly hair on a "one-color-fits-all" emoji. The keyboard will include 27 unique curly hair designs with a variety of skin tones and hair colors you can personalize. That's 131 variations — along with seven animated GIFs — for your texting pleasure. Do your curls grow out in a 'fro rather than down? There's an emoji for you. Are you a red-head curly girl? There's an emoji for you, too. There's an emoji for pretty much anyone, whether you have curly hair sprouting out of your own head or simply admire it from afar. Arguably the best part? The new emojis are available for free (our favorite four-letter word) to download today at the App Store and Google Play. Additionally, today only, if you tweet out #LoveYourCurls on Twitter, a curly emoji will materialize post-hashtag. A pretty awesome way to use up those 140 characters, if you ask us.