Due to a long-running push, you'll soon be able to throw the subject of menstruation into your online interactions, thanks to a new emoji that the Unicode Consortium is releasing this spring, per Mashable. Although everything from a red flashing light and double exclamation point to an erupting volcano has been suggested over the years, the emoji group has settled on a single drop of blood to "express what 800 million women around the world are experiencing every month," according to a UK spokeswoman for Plan International, the girls rights group that's been lobbying for the emoji since at least 2017.
It's a major move toward making periods seem routine and "smashing the stigma which surrounds them," the rep adds. Though the Mirror notes that people seem excited about the new emoji, not everyone is gushing about it. One commenter who isn't opposed to the concept overall calls the chosen representation a "strange red droplet," while another oddly wonders if the blood icon is "mostly going to be used for violent threats online." (A lobster emoji had to be fixed to make it anatomically correct.)
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