There's still no set release date.
For Apple users scanning their emoji keyboard to find the perfect addition to their text message, there are some new, multiracial options coming their way.
Apple will be expanding its array of emojis in its next update, Apple OS 8.3, to include a more racially diverse selection for emojis. The update will feature an option to change the skin tone and hair color of different characters.
Screenshots of the update in its beta version have been circulating the Internet and have been met with mixed reviews. On a more local scale, many students were excited that they would have emojis of different races at their disposal.
The skin tones chosen for the emojis come from the Fitzpatrick scale, which is used around the world to group types of skin by how they react to ultraviolet radiation, said Winsome Chunnu-Brayda, the associate director of the Multicultural Center.
“In the United States, we’re struggling with representation. I want to see myself represented on my phone, because I’m not represented in so many other places,” she said.
There is no release date announced yet for the update.
“This is something that should’ve happened a long time ago,” said James Schuster, a freshman studying media arts and studies.
Apple has made emojis available since the iOS 5 software, which was released in late 2011. Many have been calling for the inclusion of other races since the release of the emoji keyboard, including Miley Cyrus, who tweeted her support in 2012.
Razan Al-Nesef, a freshman studying linguistics who is from Kawait, said she was excited that the emojis will be added.
“People will be happy when they see their own ethnicity. This also encourages people to be proud of who they are,” she said. “I know I would be happy if they had a Kuwait flag, too.”
It is currently unclear whether or not Android will follow suit in introducing multiracial emoji options.
The initial emojis have raised some eyebrows, however. Because the only difference in the emojis will be skin tone, Chunnu-Brayda said some feel it is not an accurate representation of other cultures.
“They’re implementing a scale that’s used internationally to capture skin tone. In a way it’s the best they could do. Within every skin tone are variations, and you’re not gong to be able to capture every one,” she added.
Apple also introduced a “neutral” option for emojis, which is a yellow skin tone.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Asian consumers found this offensive, and it is unclear whether or not it will remain in the update.
“When we look at movements toward social justice, it didn’t happen overnight. We still have a long way to go, and that’s okay. It’s steps that happen over time. Some are large steps, some are baby steps,” Chunnu-Brayda said.
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