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We’re Finally Getting A Period Emoji, And People Are Conflicted

Ladies, rejoice! No more having to hint about it being ~that time of the month~ using the red circle emoji. We’re getting out very own period emoji.

You read that right! Unicode Consortium, the California-based organization that manages emoji distribution, announced that a new set of emojis—including the blood drop emoji—will hit keyboards in spring 2019.

The blood drop emoji was willed into existence by girls’ rights group Plan International UK in an effort to crush the stigma and silence surrounding menstruation. The campaign, which was backed by more than 55,000 people, initially surveyed women between the ages of 18 and 34 and confirmed that almost half (47%) believed a period emoji would facilitate conversations about periods with friends and partners.

Head of Girls’ Rights & Youth at Plan International UK Lucy Russell says that the emoji “can express what 800 million women around the world are experiencing every month” and “is a huge step towards normalizing periods and smashing the stigma which surrounds them.”

“For years we’ve obsessively silenced and euphemized periods,” Russell said. “As experts in girls’ rights, we know that this has a negative impact on girls; girls feel embarrassed to talk about their periods, they’re missing out, and they can suffer health implications as a consequence.”

Though she acknowledges an emoji won’t solve the period stigma, Russell believes it will “help change the conversation” and end “the shame around periods.”

Though some on social media thought this was a progressive step towards menstruation destigmatization…

…Others couldn’t see the value.

What do you think?

h/t Bustle