For too long, those of us with periods and clitorises have been silenced by Emoji's lack of vagina-related emojis. While we gossip freely with eggplant dicks, the best digital icon we currently have to talk about periods and vaginas are the taco and the bloody syringe, which feels unnecessarily gruesome if we're trying to teach people that periods aren't scary.
These dark days have come to an end. Apple has released iOS 13.2, an update that includes 398 new emoji, including a menstrual-red blood drop.
According to Vogue, the inclusion of the blood drop is the result of pressure form global girls right's charity, Plan International UK, which hopes the texting icon will make conversations about periods easier and less shameful.
The collection also includes a dignified oyster emoji, replete with a pearly clit, for all your sexting and storytelling needs.
Hopefully, the menstruating among us will be emboldened by this visual vocabulary to talk openly about vaginal experiences. Maybe that's a stretch, but hey, wins for people with vaginas are far and few between these days, so we'll celebrate where we can.
The batch also includes a number of other representation firsts. Answering calls for disability-inclusive emojis, the company is providing icons like an ear with a hearing aid, as well as a nonbinary characters, people in wheel chairs, hands using sign language, and figures using canes and sitting in wheel chairs.
There's queer, interracial couples of every formulation.
And here's your new non-binary friend — doing yoga, juggling and dressed like David Bowie.
We're also getting a one-piece bathing suit, butter, garlic, a white heart for you ice queens, and some cute furry things including a sloth, gorilla and an otter.
Check out the full list here and make sure to update your phone.
Photos: Emojipedia
