London Youths Design First Afro Hair Emojis

Aiming to challenge beauty norms, Londoners create emojis representing Black and mixed-race hairstyles for Unicode approval.

The project is a collaboration between London-based youth group RISE.365 and PR agency Good Relations.
Four emojis featuring afros, braids, cornrows, and locs have been developed to tackle texturism and promote inclusivity.
The emojis are set to be submitted to Unicode for consideration in April 2025.
A survey of RISE.365 members revealed that 61% have experienced hair-related discrimination or bullying.
The initiative highlights the lack of representation in emojis and aims to address eurocentric beauty standards.