Emojis have become an integral part of digital communication, allowing us to express a wide range of emotions and ideas in a fun and visual way. One of the great things about emojis is the ability to change their skin tone to be more inclusive and representative of diversity.
Why is changing emoji skin tone important?
When emojis were first introduced, they defaulted to a bright yellow color. While this was fine initially, many people realized that these default yellow emojis did not represent diverse skin tones. The lack of representation in emoji skins was limiting and did not reflect the diversity of real world users.
That’s why major platforms like iOS, Android, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp introduced the ability to change emoji skin tones as part of their emoji releases over the last few years. This feature allows users to change the skin color of certain emojis to one of 5 preset options: default yellow, light skin tone, medium skin tone, dark skin tone, and darkest skin tone.
Having the option to change emoji skin tone is important for several reasons:
- It promotes inclusivity and representation. Users can now choose emoji skins that better represent their own skin tone.
- It reduces bias. Default yellow emojis no longer have to be the norm.
- It allows for better self-expression. Users can choose the emoji skin color they feel best represents them.
- It reflects diversity. The range of skin tone options acknowledges that there is a spectrum of skin tones and allows for representation.
In summary, changing emoji skin tones empowers users to feel represented online, enables creative self-expression, and reflects the diversity of the real world – all in a fun emoji way!
How to change emoji skin tones
The process for changing emoji skins will vary slightly depending on what device and platform you are using. Here are the general steps to change emoji skin tones across the most popular platforms:
iPhone and iPad (iOS)
- Open any app where you can use the emoji keyboard like Messages, Notes, Mail, etc.
- Tap on the emoji icon to open the emoji keyboard.
- Tap and hold on an emoji that supports skin tones. These are typically smiley faces and people.
- A popup will appear with the skin tone options. Slide your finger to the left and right to preview the different skin tones.
- Lift your finger when you’ve selected the desired skin tone. The emoji will now appear in that skin tone.
Android
- Open any app with emoji keyboard support like Messages, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.
- Tap on the emoji icon to open the emoji keyboard.
- Long press on an emoji that supports skin tones. These are typically smiley faces and people.
- A popup will appear with the different skin tone options. Tap on the one you want.
- The emoji will now appear in the selected skin tone.
Windows
- Open any app where you can access the Windows emoji panel like Mail, Word, etc.
- Select the Windows key + “.” to open the emoji panel.
- Right click on an emoji that supports skin tones. These are typically smiley faces and people.
- A context menu will appear with the skin tone options. Click to select the tone you want.
- The emoji will now appear with the chosen skin color.
- When composing a Tweet, tap on the emoji icon to open the emoji keyboard.
- Tap and hold on an emoji that supports skin tones like smiley faces or people.
- A popup will show the different skin tone options. Tap on the one you want.
- The emoji will now appear in your Tweet with the selected skin tone.
- While writing a post or comment, click on the emoji icon to open the emoji panel.
- Hover over an emoji that supports skin tones.
- Small skin tone bubbles will appear below the emoji. Click on the desired skin tone.
- The emoji will now appear in your post or comment with the chosen skin color.
- Open any chat window and tap on the emoji icon next to the text box.
- Tap and hold on any emoji that allows skin tone changes. This includes smiley faces and people.
- A popup will show the different skin tone options. Tap on the one you want.
- The emoji will now appear in your chat with the selected skin tone.
Can all emojis change skin tones?
Unfortunately, not all emojis support skin tone changes. Typically, the emojis that allow skin tone changes are:
- Smiley faces and people faces 😃👩🦱
- Hand gestures 👍🏿✊🏻
- Body parts 🦵🏾🦶🏼
- People with occupation 🧑🌾👨🍳
- People in activities 🧗🏽♀️🚶🏻♂️
- Couples and families 👨❤️👨👩❤️👩
- Fantasy characters 🧝🏽♀️🧛🏻♂️
Other emojis like animals, objects, symbols, flags, etc. do not allow skin tone changes. So skin tone modifications are limited to human-like emojis.
Difference between skin tones and modifiers
It’s important to understand the difference between changing emoji skin tones and using emoji modifiers:
- Skin Tones – This changes the actual color and tone of the emoji’s “skin” to reflect different ethnicities. It affects smiley faces, people, and body parts.
- Modifiers – These add a symbol like gender, hair color, profession, etc. to further customize an emoji. For example, adding a beard, glasses, or making it gender neutral.
Modifiers build on top of the skin tone to allow for even more personalized emojis. Skin tone reflects ethnicity while modifiers show attributes. Both help promote diversity and inclusion!
Examples of emoji skin tones
To see how emoji skin tones work visually, here are some examples of the 5 different skin options available:
Skin Tone | Example Emojis |
---|---|
Default Yellow | 😃👨⚕️👍 |
Light Skin Tone | 😃🏻👨🏻⚕️👍🏻 |
Medium Skin Tone | 😃🏼👨🏼⚕️👍🏼 |
Dark Skin Tone | 😃🏽👨🏽⚕️👍🏽 |
Darkest Skin Tone | 😃🏾👨🏾⚕️👍🏾 |
As you can see, its very easy to represent a wide range of skin tones through emoji customization. This promotes diversity and inclusion for all users.
Customizing emojis to your skin tone
One of the best practices with emoji skin tones is customizing the human-like emojis you use to match your own skin tone. This allows for authentic self-expression and representation.
For example, if you have a medium skin tone, you may choose to always use the medium skin tone emoji option. That way the emojis you use consistently reflect and represent you.
Some tips for customizing emojis to your skin tone include:
- Decide which of the 5 skin tone options best matches your skin color and tone.
- Make a habit of using that skin tone whenever possible for smiley faces, people, hands, etc.
- Add the skin tone emoji to your frequently used section for easy access.
- Show friends and family which skin tone reflects you so they can use it in messages.
- Don’t be afraid to switch skin tones depending on context – use the tone that feels right.
While you don’t have to limit yourself to just one skin tone, customizing it to your own helps convey your identity and enables better self-expression.
Being inclusive with emoji skin tones
An important aspect of emoji skin tones is being inclusive, especially when communicating with diverse groups or audiences.
Some tips for being inclusive with emoji skin tones:
- Don’t assume you know someone’s skin tone – let them specify which emoji color represents them.
- Use a mix of skin tones when talking in a group chat or posting publicly to be more representative.
- Avoid only using the default yellow as it excludes skin tone diversity.
- Ask people directly which emoji skin tone they prefer if unsure.
- Use skin tones for self-representation but don’t try to speak for communities you don’t belong to.
- Remember that identity and self-expression are personal – respect how others choose to use emoji tones.
Being considerate and embracing the diversity of emoji skin tones makes digital communication more welcoming to everyone.
Common questions about emoji skin tones
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about emoji skin tones:
How many emoji skin tones are there?
There are 5 emoji skin tone options: default yellow, light, medium, dark, darkest.
Why don’t all emojis support skin tones?
Skin tones only apply to human-like emojis. Other emojis like animals, objects, and symbols cannot have ethnicity applied.
Can I make my own custom emoji skin colors?
No, you are limited to the 5 preset skin tone options provided by emoji vendors. You cannot create custom skin colors.
How do I know which emoji skin tone is right for me?
Choose the emoji skin tone that most closely matches your actual skin color and tone. Ask a friend if you need a second opinion!
Is changing emoji skin tones only for people of color?
No, the emoji skin tones are for anyone to use. Light skin tones allow fair skinned people to represent themselves as well.
Why don’t all messaging apps support emoji skin tones?
Some older messaging apps need to be updated to support emoji skin tones. Contact the developer to request adding this useful feature.
Conclusion
Emoji skin tones provide an important and easy way to represent diversity in digital communication. By embracing inclusive skin tones, we create a more welcoming online space for self-expression.
However, skin tones are just one step. We need to continue advocating for more inclusive emoji options representing disabilities, cultures, identities, and experiences.
With thoughtful usage and an open mind, emoji skin tones can reflect the diversity of our shared human experience. So be proud to use the skin tone that feels most like you!