Emojis are replacing Barbies as the battleground where the fight over the portrayal of women is being waged.
A group of Google employees is pushing for 13 new emojis to be approved with a “goal of highlighting the diversity of women’s careers and empower girls everywhere,” according to their proposal submitted to the Unicode Consortium this week.
“No matter where you look, women are gaining visibility and recognition as never before,” the developers said in a its proposal. “Isn’t it time that emoji also reflect the reality that women play a key role in every walk of life and in every profession?”
As of now, emojis depicting women are overwhelmingly stereotypical: There’s nail painting and hair grooming; there’s flamenco dancing and twin burlesque bunnies. Men, meanwhile, are cops and doctors and athletes, as Always pointed out as part of their “Like a Girl” campaign. Google’s proposal includes doctors, farmers, graduates and professors for both sexes. There’s even a David Bowie tribute emoji.
Making unicode emoji less basic with 13 true-to-life representations of professional women: https://t.co/aSOBFkKMGa pic.twitter.com/BfKMSSXgpg
— Google Design (@GoogleDesign) May 11, 2016
Unicode Consortium is currently mulling which emojis will be allowed in its next batch, due to arrive on people’s phones in mid-2017. However, the Googlers might have an advantage since the Consortium’s president, Mark Davis, is also a Google employee.
More in Marketing
Digiday+ Research: Deloitte, Wrangler and other execs dig into holiday marketing strategies
As the holiday shopping season kicks off, Digiday+ Research sat down with brand and retail marketers to see how they’ve prepared for the season.
Brands prepare for more shoppers to buy from their phones this holiday season
A record 53% of holiday shopping is expected on mobile this year, and brands are readying their sites and socials to meet the demand.
Marketing Briefing: Understanding CMOs’ top priorities ahead of the next Trump presidency
CMOs and agency execs say brands need to listen to voter feedback to understand if they know what resonates with consumers.