A lot of us use emojis to communicate frequently, and some of us probably use them more often than we'd like to admit. Even though there are emojis for everything from pizza to poop (my two favorites), there aren't ones for a handful of important people and things. While there have been some notable additions to emojis over the years, allowing more races, religions, and different sexual orientations to represent themselves, there's still no representation for interracial couples. In fact, a Tinder survey of over 4,000 people from across the globe, conducted by Morar HPI, found that 52 percent of people felt that interracial couples were not well-represented — or only represented somewhat — in emojis, GIFs, and memes. Even though same-sex couple emojis have been around since 2015, we still don't have interracial couple emojis somehow.
So now, Tinder, the popular dating app, is fighting for emoji equality in a campaign called #RepresentLove — and they want your help. "We’re proud of the fact that we’ve always made the first move when it comes to innovation and equality in dating," Rosette Pambakian, Head of Brand for Tinder, tells Bustle. "After some research that showed that the rise of online dating — largely influenced by Tinder — has led to an increase in interracial marriage, we were inspired to learn more so we could do more and become a driving force to help advance progress. Our Global Survey on Interracial Relationships found that our users are passionate about equality and representation, as well."
It's's really easy to participate — and you could even get emojified by doing so. Here's how to get involved, according to Tinder:
- Sign the Interracial Couples Emoji petition on Change.org
- Repost this video with #RepresentLove on social and get others to join the cause
- Couples who post a pic of themselves in the iconic emoji stance on Twitter and tag @Tinder with #RepresentLove will have a chance to win an emojified version of themselves.
It's an important cause and it's so easy to participate. More interracial representation can only be a good thing, and as Tinder's survey found, many people feel online dating paves the way for interracial relationships. Here's what people had to say.
Online Dating Helps Remove Stigmas And Connect People
When it comes to interracial dating, many of those surveyed thought that online dating made things easier in terms of fighting prejudice and just connecting people. Fifty-five percent of respondents said that dating apps and sites have helped remove stigmas or labels around interracial dating. Not only that, 81 percent of users said it made it easier to meet and date people who were different than them. And, among Tinder users, that figure was 92 percent.
Tinder Users Were More Open
Interestingly, 72 percent of those surveyed said that Tinder was the most racially diverse dating app which, now that I think about it, was also true in my experience. And 79 percent of Tinder users have been out with someone of a different race, compared to just 62 percent of non-Tinder users, which is a pretty hefty difference.
Only 37 percent of Tinder users said that race was important factor in whether or not they would date someone, which is still way too high — but it was lower than the amount of people who said the same on other dating apps.
Interracial Dating Helps Expand Horizons
Most people — 66 percent — who have dated someone of a different race said that it made them more open-minded and enabled them to experience places they wouldn't otherwise have been aware of. Perhaps more tellingly, 63 percent of people who had dated outside of their race said that it had helped them try new hobbies and, crucially, 53 percent said it made them more politically and socially engaged.
Yes, emojis might seem like a silly way to communicate to some people, but that doesn't matter, because so many people do actually use them on a day-to-day basis. There's no reason that interracial couples shouldn't be represented through emojis. If emojis are popular form of communication, they should be inclusive and representative. So take a minute to #RepresentLove today, because all forms of love deserve to be included.
