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Young Londoners design new Afro hair emojis 'An emoji will help us to feel seen'
(about 13 hours later)
The group of teenagers from Hackney are hoping their designs will be approved and released as new emojis Jayzik says there is a negative stereotype around coarser hair textures that needs to be removed
A group of young east Londoners are campaigning for better representation in the messaging world, by designing emojis with black and mixed race hairstyles. For Jayzik, a young person working with community support group Rise.365, designing emojis with black and mixed race hairstyles is about representation.
Community support group Rise.365 said although there are almost 4,000 emojis, not a single one features a black or mixed race hairstyle, but its members from Hackney have decided to address this by designing four new emojis. She told BBC London: “I feel like there's a negative stereotype around coarser hair textures like Afro hair and I feel that needs to be removed.
Reanna, one of the young designers who made the braids emoji icon, said: "Having these emojis made is such a big deal and a massive step towards encouraging people to embrace and feel comfortable with their hair." “It should be in an emoji because it will help us to feel seen.”
Unicode has been contacted for a response. Rise.365, a community support group, said although there are almost 4,000 emojis, not a single one features a black or mixed race hairstyle, so its members from Hackney have decided to address this by designing four new emojis.
Rise.365 said the emoji designs also feature braids and locs, styles worn and designed by the young people it helps. Chavez said people sometimes make negative comments about his hair
"To be able to be the representative of the braids emoji is such a huge honour, and I hope this empowers people to be comfortable in their hair textures and styles," Reanna added. It said the emoji designs also feature braids and locs, styles worn and designed by the young people it helps.
Designer Reanna said she hopes her icon "empowers people to be comfortable in their hair textures and styles" Chavez, a young person from the group, explains that Afro hair emojis are about combatting negative stereotypes.
The organisation said the designers plan to submit their icons by April to the Unicode Consortium, which approves or rejects new designs. He said: “Especially in a school environment it is things like people wanted to touch your hair, talk about your hair.
It hopes by applying to have the icons considered for inclusion as emojis, its efforts will also highlight hair-based discrimination - also known as texturism. “Talking about how your hair is thick, how it is untamed. It'll make you feel like you don't belong and it will make you feel like people are against you.”
This is when Afro-textured or coarse hair types and hairstyles are viewed negatively such as being seen as unprofessional, unattractive or unclean. Rise.365 polled 104 of its black and mixed race members, and found 61% experienced discrimination or bullying because of their hair type or hairstyle, with 63% having had their hair touched without their consent.
It comes after Rise.365, a community interest company which offers mentoring, counselling and support schemes, polled 104 of its black and mixed race members, and found 61% experienced discrimination or bullying because of their hair type or hairstyle, with 63% having had their hair touched without their consent. About three quarters (74%) of those surveyed felt there was not an emoji that represented their hairstyle, and almost a third (32%) said this made them feel feeling overlooked and forgotten.
About three quarters (74%) of those surveyed felt there wasn't an emoji that represented their hairstyle, and almost a third (32%) said this made them feel feeling overlooked and forgotten. Amina Grey says the next step is to apply to Unicode
Rise.365 founder Jocylen Brodie-Mends Buffong said: "We really want to start changing perceptions for future generations" The community group said it now plans to submit their icons to the Unicode Consortium, which approves or rejects new designs.
Joyclen Brodie-Mends Buffong, founder of Rise.365, also hopes that introducing these emojis "will not only help more black and mixed race people feel equally represented", but that it will start "conversations around the bigger issues of texturism and Afro hair discrimination". Amina Grey, a youth mentor at Rise.365, says the group needs show there is a need for these emojis and they need people to use their search engines to help.
She told BBC London: “The next step of the process is to submit to Unicode, which is the governing body of emojis. That takes place next April. And what we need to do is show them that there is a need for the emojis.
“What we've been asking everyone to do on social media is to search Afro hair into Google - Afro hair emoji - and that will feed into the data that we then submit with our application form.
"The more data that we get, the more likely we are to get our submissions on to the keyboards.”
Joyclen Brodie-Mends Buffong, founder of Rise.365, hopes that introducing these emojis "will not only help more black and mixed race people feel equally represented", but that it will start "conversations around the bigger issues of texturism and Afro hair discrimination".
She added black and mixed race people "are confronted by texturism on a daily basis, and so we really want to start changing perceptions for future generations - starting where it matters most, with young people".She added black and mixed race people "are confronted by texturism on a daily basis, and so we really want to start changing perceptions for future generations - starting where it matters most, with young people".
"Hopefully next year we will see these emojis added to keyboards everywhere."
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