There’s going to be a new emoji for periods, and people can’t wait for it to get here

The news about the "bloody" inclusion spread cheer among women on social media. Most were very excited about the new emoji, few thought it might be misinterpreted and other symbols like pads or tampons would have been better.

periods, period emoji, mensuration, period emoji 2019, 2019 new unicode emojis, tech news, viral news, indian express

Mensuration may be a monthly affair for billions of women worldwide, but conversations on the subject are taboo and avoided. In a move that’s expected to make talking about menstruation easier—especially for tech-savvy, Internet users—Unicode is finally rolling out an emoji for periods.

Coding consortium Unicode, which distributes emoji across mobile devices, said it will include the period emoji — a drop of blood — in March, and will be one of 230 new emojis that will be released in 2019.

However, the inclusion of this emoji didn’t come easy. A campaign led by Plan International UK can be credited with this emoji. Across the world, the stigma surrounding periods is a serious problem, especially among teenage girls. Not talking about mensuration freely has a huge impact on young girls, making many feel ashamed of their bodies, and also result in various hygiene issues that are often unaddressed.

We are thrilled to announce that we are actually getting a #PeriodEmoji!

It is through your support that we can now celebrate that the @unicode have announced that we will get our first ever #PeriodEmoji in March 2019 🎊

Find out more here ▶https://t.co/dKd4WwEShX pic.twitter.com/CdyG5fapAx

— PlanInternational UK (@PlanUK) February 6, 2019

With the help of this emoji, the organisation says it hopes to break the silence around the subject and fight the shame attached to stains.

“The inclusion of an emoji … is a huge step towards normalizing periods and smashing the stigma which surrounds them,” said Lucy Russell, head of Plan International UK told Reuters.

“An emoji isn’t going to solve this, but it can help change the conversation. Ending the shame around periods begins with talking about it,” she added.

The news about the “bloody” inclusion spread cheer among women on social media. Many were very excited about the new emoji, but some pointed out that it could be misinterpreted and other symbols—like pads or tampons—would have been better. Some said that the free supply of sanitary products would have helped much more than an emoji.

Love this. Also a wake up call for people who watch commercials and think menstrual blood is blue. #PeriodEmoji https://t.co/olxlQYkLDz

— Logan Levkoff, Ph.D. (@LoganLevkoff) February 6, 2019

Can’t wait for this new emoji 👩🏽‍💻 https://t.co/L8r0qOx4Ik

— Nizza (@therealnizza) February 7, 2019

A #PeriodEmoji was definitely necessary I just cant believe it took this long

— Evan Burns (@EvanBur90587828) February 7, 2019

Just reading up about the #PeriodEmoji sounds great. Also have a nosebleed rn so [periodemoji] works for that too

— Kate ♥ (@Kateee_love) February 7, 2019

Finally Apple is releasing a #PeriodEmoji now I can use the emoji accordingly 🤯

— APRIL. (@x0AprilMoore) February 7, 2019

honestly not sure how a single drop of blood is supposed to represent a woman’s period … when clearly there were so many better options!#PeriodEmoji pic.twitter.com/TDWJMrVjKl

— Jeññie (@JennieOhMy) February 7, 2019

COME THROUGH @PlanUK 👏 The #PeriodEmoji is coming soon 🎊A great step to ending period stigma. (Also means I’ll no longer have to use these to mean period💃🌊🍅🚨💉🇯🇵) https://t.co/DiJz25ahDZ

— Becky Frankham (@BeckyFrankham) February 6, 2019

That period red drop emoji needs to be a red wave 🌊 for some of us. #periodemoji

— Shanine (@braintree_) February 6, 2019

Real talk: wouldn’t a tampon emoji make more sense? I wouldn’t know it was that time of the month just by looking at a drop of blood. I think it’ll end up being used for all kinds of things, sort of defeating the purpose. #PeriodEmoji

— Ryan Farrar (@_ryanfarrar) February 6, 2019

we ask for free sanitary products and we get a period emoji instead. Ok

— 𝔪 (@vividguk) February 6, 2019

To all who think periods are gross and try to make us feel shame and embarrassed… it’s natural, painful, and can be ugly at times. But it’s also just as beautiful. This is wonderful news!!! #PeriodEmoji pic.twitter.com/f2PspHj4na

— Felicia NicHole (@alwaysbyfelicia) February 6, 2019

#PeriodEmoji it’s about time pic.twitter.com/pOdIiQCcLc

— Samantha Sile (@samanthasile) February 7, 2019
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The new set of emojis to be released in May this year for iPhone and Android users will also include symbols like a same-sex couple holding hands and people with disabilities (including a man and women sitting in both a manual and motorised wheelchair, and people walking with canes).