Speaking Emoji: Stop Hiding Behind the Eggplant and Peach Emoji - We Need a Sex Emoji

NEW YORK, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As an advocate for a sex-positive lifestyle, sexual wellness brand LELO is all for sexting as it allows people to express things they might not say face to face to another person. The right emoji will easily elevate "wyd" to "come-hither." And yet, there is no sex emoji. Instead, those engaging in sexting have to use numerous substitutes. 

In light of this, LELO submits the application to introduce the first official #sexemoji to Unicode and believes the creation of such an emoji will usher in a new era of communication, further break the stigma surrounding the talk of sex online and help more people be more satisfied with their sex life. Simultaneously, LELO launches a petition via change.org asking the public to rally behind this cause.

The new normal communication

What originally started as a small, pixelated icon has become a part of modern culture, a universal language and favorite foreplay for many. In light of this, LELO carried out a survey, and some 10,000 participants shared their communication habits regarding the use of emojis for sexting. The survey revealed:

• 76% say that they use emojis for sexting.
• 71.5% use them because they are playful.   
• 86% would support LELO's application for a sex emoji.
• 54% think there should also be an emoji for safe sex and sex toys. 
• 62% say the sex emoji should hint at sex; 29% believe it should clearly portray sex. 

With the pandemic making people stay at home for the more significant part of last year and the beginning of this year, even more people's day-to-day activity made its way online. "For the sexual wellness industry, the first lockdown of 2020 completely normalized the discourse on sexual pleasure in the mainstream media. It was proven as a key part of human well-being, and the ability to talk about sexuality in every medium is essential for personal well-being. This prompted LELO to submit an official application for the creation of the first official sex emoji. With sex now being a regular feature in the media, it seems that the time has also come to have the sex emoji. And as an industry leader, we see it as our responsibility to spearhead this cause for the entire industry and general public. We see this emoji's creation as gearing towards free sexual expression on all channels and posting without fear of censorship on social media. Having sex, safe sex, and even sex toy emoji will therefore be the next milestone in fully liberating the discourse on sex," says LELO CMO Luka Matutinović.

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Related Images

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LELO Survey - U.S. Infographics
The survey on the use of emojis for sex - U.S. results

SOURCE LELO