🧑‍🦱

Person: Curly Hair

PUR-suhn KUR-lee HAIR
People & Body Unicode 12.1 common

Meanings

1
People · Appearance Common

A gender-neutral person with curly hair, used to represent individuals with naturally curly or wavy hairstyles without specifying gender.

Used in contexts discussing hair types, personal appearance, or when representing diverse individuals in digital communication.

Just got a new curly cut and I'm feeling like 🧑‍🦱 but better! 📋 Instagram caption
The humidity today has me looking like 🧑‍🦱 whether I want to or not! 📋 Weather-related text message

Part of Unicode's effort to create more inclusive, gender-neutral emoji options that represent diverse physical appearances and hair textures.

2
People · Identity Common

Used to represent non-binary or gender-neutral individuals with curly hair, particularly in contexts where gender-inclusive representation is important.

Often used alongside other gender-neutral emojis in discussions about inclusivity or when gender specificity is unnecessary or inappropriate.

The new character in the show is non-binary 🧑‍🦱 and I love how they're written! 📋 Twitter discussion

Reflects growing awareness of gender diversity and the need for digital communication tools that accommodate non-binary identities.

Combos with 🧑‍🦱

🧑‍🦱💇
Getting a haircut for curly hair or discussing curly haircuts.
Often used when discussing specialized curly hair cutting techniques like Deva cuts.
🧑‍🦱🌧️
Curly hair affected by rain or humidity.
References the common experience of humidity causing curly hair to frizz or expand.
🧑‍🦱✨
Celebrating or showing pride in curly hair.
Connected to natural hair movements and curl pride communities online.

Culture

Represents the growing cultural shift toward celebrating natural hair textures, particularly in communities where curly hair has historically been stigmatized or pressured to conform to straight hair standards.

Part of Unicode's ongoing efforts to create more inclusive emoji options that represent diverse physical appearances without defaulting to specific genders.

Younger generations tend to use this emoji more frequently as part of digital conversations about personal identity, self-acceptance, and natural beauty.

United Kingdom Used similarly to the US, but with British terminology for hair care and styling.
United States Often used in conversations about natural hair movements and curl pride, particularly in Black and multicultural communities.
Gen_X: Less frequently used, but appearing more in family communications about children or discussions of changing beauty standards.
Gen_Z: Frequently used in hair care communities on TikTok and Instagram, often in videos about curl routines and product recommendations.
Older: Limited usage, primarily when receiving messages from younger family members or in response to photos shared by family.
Millennials: Used in discussions about embracing natural hair textures and in professional contexts when discussing inclusive representation.

History

2019

Introduced as part of Unicode 12.0, expanding representation of diverse hair types.

Growing demand for inclusive emojis representing diverse physical characteristics.

2020

Gained popularity during pandemic lockdowns when many people embraced their natural hair textures.

Limited access to hair salons led to 'lockdown curls' trend on social media.