π§
Girl
/gΙrl/
Definitions
1
People Β· Child
Very Common
A female child, typically pre-teen. Used to represent girls in family contexts, school settings, or general references to female children.
Generally used in positive or neutral contexts to represent a young female person.
My π§ just started third grade and loves it!
Family conversation on messaging apps
Proud dad moment! π§ won first place in the science fair!
Social media post
Looking for babysitter for π§ (8) and π¦ (6) on Saturday evening.
Community group post
Visually depicted with pigtails or ponytail hairstyle, which is a stereotypical Western representation of a young girl.
2
People Β· Identity
Common
Used self-referentially by females of various ages, especially teens and young adults, to represent themselves in a youthful or playful context.
Often used in social media bios, captions, or conversations to indicate female identity.
Just a π§ who loves coffee and true crime podcasts.
Social media bio
π§ night out! Ready for cocktails and dancing!
Instagram caption
The age range represented by this emoji extends beyond its literal depiction, as many women use it self-referentially regardless of age.
Evolution Timeline
2010
Introduced in Unicode 6.0 with basic girl representation featuring pigtails.
Growing need to represent children of different genders in digital communication.
2015
Skin tone modifiers became available, allowing for more diverse representation of girls.
Push for greater diversity and inclusion in emoji representation.
2017
Usage expanded beyond literal children to self-referential use by women of various ages.
Social media culture and the rise of emoji as identity markers.
Cultural Context
The girl emoji has become a symbol in digital campaigns for girls' education and rights globally, transcending its basic representational function.
While older users tend to use this emoji literally to represent children, younger users often use it self-referentially regardless of age.
In Western contexts, the pigtail hairstyle is a stereotypical visual shorthand for young girls, though this doesn't reflect global diversity in girls' appearances.
The term 'girl' has expanded in digital contexts to include self-reference by adult women, reflected in emoji usage patterns.
Regional Variations
United Kingdom
Often used in reference to school uniforms and traditional British educational contexts.
India
Frequently used in contexts related to girls' education and empowerment initiatives.
United States
Often used in school contexts and paired with graduation cap emoji for educational achievements.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: Primarily used to represent actual children, especially daughters and nieces. Common in family communications.
Gen_Z: Often used ironically or self-referentially regardless of age. Frequently appears in TikTok captions and Instagram stories.
Older: Limited usage, typically only to represent granddaughters or great-granddaughters in family contexts.
Millennials: Commonly used to represent daughters or in nostalgic contexts about childhood. Popular in family group chats and social media updates.
Common Combinations
π§π¦
Children, siblings, or classmates of different genders.
Commonly used by parents to represent their children or in school contexts.
π©π§
Mother and daughter relationship or female family members.
Used in family contexts to represent maternal relationships or female relatives.
π§π
Girl graduating or achieving educational success.
Used to celebrate academic achievements of young females.
π§πͺ
Girl power, female empowerment, or strong young woman.
Used in contexts promoting gender equality and female strength.
π§π«
Girl at school or in educational context.
Used when discussing girls' education or school activities.