The newest emoji update may be the most inclusive yet, featuring a woman wearing a head covering, a breastfeeding woman, and also both steak and broccoli. These are just a few of the 69 individual symbols with varying skin tone and gender offered in shadowy technology organization the Unicode Consortium’s 10th update, which includes Emoji 5.0.
Last year a head covering emoji was proposed by 15-year-old Rayouf Alhumedhi, and making this update a victory for representation. Icons are now available for UFOs, the sport of curling, and the elderly, each of which will should make a group of very passionate people very happy. There will also be dinosaurs, dumplings, cussing, and hedgehogs. Oh, and this barfing emoji:
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Who among us can resist what is ostensibly the most useful character in 2017, Face With Open Mouth Vomiting? At the very least, we see it as a welcome response to the tired tropes of vampires and zombies, as well as universally hated artifacts like candy cane socks, bearded men, and yoga.
In a twist, the Unicode Consortium seems to have made a political statement in the latest update by offering separate flags for the countries of England and Scotland. Scotland is in the process of organizing a referendum to leave the United Kingdom, and this seems like a stance in favor of, or at least preparing for, separation. Based on UK Prime Minister’s Theresa May’s attempts to block the vote, these emojis might inspire the most appropriate use of the vomit emoji after all. Check out concept renditions of the full set, which will be available later this year, in a convenient video by Emojipedia below.
Learn more about Emoji 5.0 here.
Related:
The 72 New Emojis Are All About Throwing Shade
