Apple unveils ethnically diverse new range of emoji

Posted by: admin , February 25, 2015

Apple has unveiled a new range of emoji that will allow for the selection of 6 different skin tones when a face, person or hand is chosen.
It is reported that the new range of emoji will be available on the next version of Apple’s mobile and desktop platforms.
Pleasingly, Apple looks to have taken into consideration more modern family groups by including men and women holding hands, as well as combinations of both.
Given that yellow skin has remained in the 6 flesh skin tone options, some have jokingly queried whether this is specifically reserved for the Simpsons, or those with jaundice.
Although there has been some chatter that sinister motives have retained yellow skin tones for Asians (given that racists portrayals of Asians include references to ‘yellow skin’), the better view is that the bright-gold yellow skin tone for emoji was designed back in AOL days to be a generic non-human default, which has simply remained.
In fact, AOL’s Instant Messenger in the 1990s included only 12 emoji, all of which were yellow!