The world is becoming more and more inclusive of people of different lifestyles. Examples of these changes can be seen everywhere, but one surprisingly ubiquitous indication of our society's increased acceptance is in our phones: the ever-expanding roster of emojis.
When teen teen Rayouf Alhumedhi suggested Apple add a hijabi emoji so there would be an emoji who "looked like her," the world saw it as a victory when, in the next update, Alhumedhi's request was fulfilled.
But Google isn't stopping there, and their most recent "inclusive" emoji is striking some people the wrong way. Google emoji user experience manager Jennifer Daniel posted this tweet on Wednesday, June 6, that has the internet buzzing:
There's big talk about inclusion and diversity at Google so if you need any evidence of Google is making this prior… https://t.co/mjqdyUlJhZ— Jennifer Daniel (@Jennifer Daniel) 1528309167.0
By removing eggs from the emoji, Google is hoping to make their salad emoji more vegan-friendly. For some, this caused genuine celebration and/or outrage.
For most Twitter users, however, it caused a healthy dose of snark:
Though some wondered whether the original post might be a joke in itself?
@jenniferdaniel Serious question: is this in earnest or intentionally ironic parody?— Matt Corbett (@Matt Corbett) 1528318415.0
It will be a dark day when the world has to reckon with #BringBackTheEgg.
@jenniferdaniel Speaking as a carnivore, I find this salad and specifically the exclusion of eggs (its most nutriti… https://t.co/KaYLq5IkTK— Corine Vloet (@Corine Vloet) 1528323881.0
Perhaps prompted by the surprising flood of strong feelings surrounding the egg, Jennifer chimed back in to amend her earlier claim slightly:
Hello carnivores, vegans and everyone in between! Just want to clarify that the goal of salad emoji redesign was to… https://t.co/j47QvKrlO7— Jennifer Daniel (@Jennifer Daniel) 1528328599.0
Perhaps Jennifer regrets opening this can of worms, but if she hadn't, the world would never have gotten to read this breathtaking exchange:
@nilesturner @jenniferdaniel No, they’re not actually. They come from an animal.— Anna (@Anna) 1528319379.0
@nilesturner @jenniferdaniel How is this hard? Eggs are not vegan. Google it.— Anna (@Anna) 1528320982.0
A few more new emojis will also be on the way...though no more egg-centered lightning rods of controversy.
All ya'll red heads are losing your red headed minds over the new red head emoji but ya'll realize this doesn't mea… https://t.co/bMjllSyQZb— Jennifer Daniel (@Jennifer Daniel) 1528310031.0
For those asking, this image features you fiery types.🔥😊🔥 https://t.co/D8RjrFcTkz— Jennifer Daniel (@Jennifer Daniel) 1528311128.0
We're slowly giving some our emojis more love. Our goat is no longer so angry. The turtle really needed a hug. And… https://t.co/HUBvqZouyJ— Jennifer Daniel (@Jennifer Daniel) 1528311275.0
But I think we all see the real problem with the salad emojis and if it's not fixed soon I am going to LOSE IT:
@jenniferdaniel Are those tomatoes even local?— Bruce McMillion$ (@Bruce McMillion$) 1528327465.0