A pregnant man, a multiracial handshake and a peeking face are some of the emoji that will be released over the next year, according to a list of drafts published by the Unicode Consortium, which approves the icons for use.
The new emoji, illustrated by Emojipedia to celebrate World Emoji Day on Saturday, complete the consortium's effort to offer male, female and gender-neutral versions of every available emoji, as well as various skin tone options.
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All kinds of pregnancies will now be represented in the emoji set, thanks to two new gender options for the “pregnant woman” emoji, while the “person with a crown” joins the “prince” and “princess” emojis for people who haven’t chosen to self-identify by a gender.
The additions, which follow a similar update to the “man with a beard” emoji that allowed users to choose between a male and female face with a beard, “will mean that almost all emoji can default to a gender-neutral option, with the option to use a woman or a man where appropriate,” said Jeremy Burge, the chief emoji officer at the Emojipedia reference site.
Some emoji remain without a gender-neutral option, largely in cases where it is unclear what the appropriate neutral approach is. The two dancing people emoji, for example, depict a male disco dancer and a female flamenco dancer: options discussed include offering identical versions of each for other genders (allowing men to depict themselves dazzling in a red dress, for example). Offering gender-appropriate alternatives (with a new male flamenco dancer) Or, the preferred option, deciding on a dance style to offer in a gender-neutral version. Emojipedia suggested breakdancing.
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The list also includes the following emojis: multiracial handshake, hands forming a heart shape, and additional faces, such as "peeking eye," "face holding back tears," and "face waving.".
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Unicode's process involves releasing draft icons for public feedback before they are approved for use in September of each year. From there, it's up to device makers to decide when to make the emoji available to users. Apple, for example, introduced the latest emoji in a software update in February, modifying the "syringe" emoji by removing the blood from it.
Source of information: theguardian.com
