Emojis have become the new way of life in today’s technologically advanced world. However, they can sometimes elicit more than the intended emotions.
After cranking out a new batch of emoticons for the new iOS 15.4, which contains an emoji of a pregnant guy, the Apple emoji factory ruffled some feathers online.
Three new gender-bending emojis, a pregnant guy, a gender-neutral pregnant person, and one sporting a crown, seemed to be the most polarizing addition. The move is part of the emoji company’s ongoing attempts to make the digital conversation more inclusive. It includes the introduction of nonbinary emoticons and other smileys.
Apple released the emojis on Thursday as part of the iOS 15.4 beta. It is a free system upgrade that iPhone owners can choose to install.
Some cultural commentators argue that the effort to make the biologically particular phenomenon all-inclusive decreases the qualities that distinguish women from men, resulting in a backlash.
Apple emojis and social media backlash
Not only that, but the issue has also erupted on social media. Several people have reacted to it by leaving comments and sharing memes. Many on Twitter slammed the latest progressive emojis, accusing the cartoon sign developers of going too far.
“How a man can be pregnant are insane?” tweeted one detractor. Another wrote, “Tell me it isn’t so that they are making a pregnant man emoji with this new update… we have failed as a civilization.”
“The new pregnant man emoji was submitted by the twitter gay porn mafia I just know it,” scoffed another.
The upgrade will be available to all iPhone owners later this year.
There will be five different skin tones for the new pregnant emojis. Users can press and hold the symbol until the options for picking different skin tones appear while sending an emoji to appear.
When Emojipedia originally revealed these emojis in September of last year, it received considerable backlash.
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 one can also use the emoji as a “tongue-in-cheek way to display a food baby, a very full stomach caused by eating a large meal.”
iOS 15.4
The IOS 15.4 update includes more than just emojis. Face ID can also be used while wearing a mask. The beta recognizes “the unique features around the eye area to authenticate.”
According to Emojipedia, these modifications will be available to the public when iOS 15.4 releases somewhere in the spring.
This isn’t the first time Apple’s emoji factory has sparked controversy with gender-neutral icons. With the iOS 14.2 beta release in 2020, Apple debuted a sexually ambiguous Santa Claus emoji, infuriating conservative opponents who accused the company of perpetuating the so-called “war on Christmas.”