(TheRedWire.com) – The primary purpose of emojis is to communicate emotions or sentiments pictorially without using text. In 2016, Apple released its first pregnant woman emoji. The pictogram was fun and harmless. Of late, emoji creators have sought to be more inclusive with their creations, especially when it comes to gender. Now, emojis are stirring some controversy.
Apple is taking its emojis to another level. In the latest IOS update, the iPhone offers users a pregnant man emoji. Some argue Apple is dehumanizing women by taking a distinctly female experience and characterizing it as a non-gender-specific pictogram. The company says people can use emojis for several purposes. Among them are representing trans men or non-binary people. Perhaps a short-haired pregnant woman wants to use it. Regardless, Apple says the emoji isn’t limited to a single group.
If this doesn’t wake you up….
Pregnant man, pregnant person emoji coming to Apple iPhones | Fox Business https://t.co/2sQ7g3kUSz
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) January 29, 2022
Some defenders of the emoji also suggest men could use it jokingly to tease about their food baby, which is slang for a full stomach caused by eating a big meal or overindulging. The pregnant emoji comes in a variety of skin tones and hairstyles.
Apple released the pregnant man emoji on Thursday, January 27, as part of the IOS 15.4 beta release. The update will come to all users later in 2022.
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