Emojis are the new way of life in today’s tech-driven world. But sometimes, they spark more than just the right emotions intended.
Well, this holds true as a ‘pregnant man’ and ‘pregnant person’ emoji, which are set to make a dramatic appearance on Apple iPhones with its latest update iOS 15.4, have sparked controversy.
The Apple’s version of the emoji has been released on Thursday as part of iOS 15.4 beta, which is a voluntary system update, the iPhone users can choose to install.
Later this year, the update will reach all iPhone users.
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The move has resulted in a row as some cultural commentators argue that the effort to make the biologically specific phenomenon all-inclusive diminishes the factors that make women different from men.
The new pregnant emojis will come in five different skin tones. The users can hold finger on the icon until it shows the options for selecting different skin tones while sending an emoji.
I saw the “pregnant man” emoji. 🤣🤣
Seriously?!? That’s not how it works. If you believe this you obviously failed biology.
— 🏴☠️🏴☠️Spicy🏴☠️🏴☠️ (@timspicymccall) January 29, 2022
In September last year, Emojipedia too had faced some criticism when it first announced these emojis.
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In a blog post, the company said that the new figures “may be used for representation by trans men, non-binary people, or women with short hair—though, of course, use of these emoji is not limited to these groups.”
Emojipedia’s Jane Solomon had said that the emoji can also be used as a “tongue-in-cheek way to display a food baby, a very full stomach caused by eating a large meal.”
(With inputs from agencies)
