The emojis appear to reflect the increasing inclusivity in the world: new emojis include people in wheelchairs, with walking sticks, a hearing aid, and service dogs. The collection of emojis also includes a larger variety of couples to reflect people’s lived experiences.
One of the more popular newcomers is one that sarcastic social media users may appreciate: a yawning face. One can also imaging that the “pinching hand” emoji will often be used in combination with the eggplant emoji.
As Unicode-Consortium explains, people all over the world will be represented in emojis in 2019, including those with different disabilities, and both heterosexual and homosexual couples of all ethnicities holding hands. The emojis will be rolled out onto smartphones and social media networks throughout the year.
The trend in emojis has been continuingly progressive: in 2015, emojis were updated to reflect different skin tones, in 2016, there were more female emojis. A year later, the association introduced emojis with different sexual orientations. Finally, in 2018, there was increased variety in terms of hair colour.
The new set of emojis also includes a drop of blood, meant to provide women with a new medium of talking about periods and breaking down the taboo surrounding the bodily function.
Other notable additions include a flamingo, an otter, a sloth, a Hindu temple, and a Sari. It seems that recent events have also influenced decisions made by Unicode Consortium as the new set of emojis includes a security vest. Whilst it may not be yellow, it is close enough, which was picked by many people, especially in France.
