Emoji seem like tiny little insignificant things, mini pictures that we use to communicate with each other when we message, but really they’re more than that.
They soften the blow of a harsh sentence, they add some sass to a cheeky statement, they help us give the person we’re messaging an idea of the tone we’re talking in.
We all have our favourite emoji, right?
There are a couple that are constantly in my ‘frequently used’ section on WhatsApp – the thinking face, the laughing face, the eyes looking to one side, and, of course, the dancing lady in a red dress.
I remember when Apple added a feature where you could choose the skin tone of your emoji, and I know this sounds dramatic, but it was a glorious day.
I felt seen, no longer did I have to use the generic yellow person I could be brown both in real life and online.
And now, the emoji I use don’t have to have straight hair either – I can have curly hair in real life and online too.
In a world where people of colour have to search to see faces that look like theirs – there’s a documented lack of diversity in advertising, the entertainment industry, politics… I could go on – the little things matter.
Being able to see myself in a set of characters I use every day is meaningful, OK? shrug emoji in skin tone 4
The newly updated set of 157 emoji will be available in the second half of 2018 and include more than just curly hair; red heads and bald people can finally see themselves represented too with new modifiers across hair colour and type.
READ MORE: The Best Original Tinder Opening Lines
Debrief Original Tinder Opening Lines
1 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
So lazy, it's almost funny
2 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Sometimes you just need cheese (and fruit)
3 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Get right to the point
4 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
3,000 gentleman points for you
5 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Everyone loves a realist
6 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Such a forward-thinker
7 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Well played
8 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
They sound like a champ
9 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Genuine fear at the thought of losing you? Quite sweet, actually
10 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
They clearly want to make it work
11 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Yes. Just yes
12 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Great taste in music
13 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Mexican food does scream romance
14 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Another Tinder artist shows us how its done
15 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
It's good to be prepared for all possible scenarios
16 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Quite cute tbh
17 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
A* for effort
18 of 18Original Tinder Opening Lines
Props for committing to this pick up line
We’ll also be getting:
A smiling face with three love hearts for when you’re feeling smitten
A woozy face for when you’ve had too many glasses of prosecco at work drinks
A hot face for when your housemate turns up the heating too high
A cold face for when you step outside in the UK
A pleading face for when you want someone to order Deliveroo with you because you can’t afford it alone
A party hat emoji for when it’s time to turn up
A series of villain emoji for when you’ve come up with a master plan
Severed legs and feet for when you’ve been watching too much Scandal and have turned into Huck
New animal emoji including a racoon, llama, hippo, kangaroo, badger, swan, peacock, parrot, lobster and mosquito
A tooth all by itself for when you need to tell someone what’s hurting but you can’t speak
A bone all by itself for when you’re trying to impress an archaeologist
A teddy bear for when you’re listing your Valentine’s day requests
A receipt for when you’re reminding someone to take theirs when they return the Christmas present you didn’t want
A flat shoe because who wears heels, boots or sandals 24/7
New food emoji including a cupcake, leafy greens, a bagel, salt, a moon cake and a mango
New activity emoji including goggles, a lab coat, one hiking boot, a microbe, compass, bricks, a skateboard, luggage, firecracker, red gift envelope, softball, flying disc, chess pawn, abacus, toolbox, magnet, test tube, petri dish, DNA, fire extinguisher, lotion bottle, thread, yarn, safety pin, broom, basket, roll of paper, soap, sponge, pirate flag
And the infinity symbol because your heart will go on and on
Follow Phoebe on Twitter @PhoebeParke
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.