9 most random new emoji and how to use them
A whole new slate of emoji are here, and some of them are so random.
Today (March 15) 100 new emoji became available with Apple's latest iOS 15.4 update, but that number is a little misleading considering a quarter of those are skin tone variations of the same standard handshake (finally). We have an assortment of new faces, gestures, and objects that are truly an eclectic mix of moods and vibes — from a biting lip that screams "u up?" at 3 a.m. to an empty jar that seems a little too ominous.
Here are some of the strangest new emoji and how you can incorporate them into your digital vernacular.
Troll
Unicode Consortium slayed with this one. This ugly little freak is joining the slowly growing ranks of the fantasy emoji squad, and I can already see him being used to signal a vibe shift into goblin mode. Haven't left the house in days or showered in while? It's time to send your bestie a deranged text and add the troll emoji as a self-aware nod to your current state of mind.
He can also be used in a "hey, do you want to answer my riddle?" way if that opportunity presents itself to you.
Lip bite
I see the lip bite emoji as being the perfect vehicle for channelling your inner Lin-Manuel Miranda and Debby Ryan. You might know Miranda from famous works like Encanto, Moana, and Broadway's Hamilton, but his most significant contribution to society was this 2018 selfie in which he bites his lip. This selfie has become synonymous with suggestive lip biting for the extremely online, making an already risky facial expression all the more embarrassing.
Another meme you can evoke with the lip bite emoji is the clip of former Disney Channel star Debby Ryan tucking her hair back behind her ear and staring upward into the camera in a "who? me?" kinda way. While Ryan isn't actually biting her lip, it has BLBE (big lip-biting energy).
If you're not familiar with those memes you can also use the lip bite emoji to put your ironic fuckboy hat on. Use it to replace the winky face that might accompany messages like "haha and then what" or "without me."
Disco ball
I smell a hit emoji. While this emoji has some self-explanatory uses — like spicing up a party invite or adding a whimsical flair to an Instagram caption — it can also be used in a more emotional way: to express when you're in your "'mirrorball' by Taylor Swift" feels. For those of you who are not of the Swiftie persuasion, "mirrorball" is an introspective track off her seminal quarantine album Folklore. You see, Blondie compares herself to a mirrorball (disco ball in Swift language) to describe her desire to entertain others, how delicate she is, and how she reflects the people around her. The emotional gravitas is palpable.
So next time you're feeling like a mirrorball, use the disco ball emoji. (And this is one of the rare emoji that is actually cuter on web.)
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Finger heart
The Swifties aren't the only compulsively online stans who benefit from the emoji update. Finger hearts — as demonstrated by touching your thumb and index, therefore creating the shape of an actual beating heart — have been a staple of Korean entertainment fandom for years, and now that love is easier to convey than ever before.
Slide
This one is easy: Use it to add a playful tone when you're sliding into someone's DMs!
Pouring liquid
Don't cry over spilt juice? Wine? Blood? This is one of those emoji that didn't need to be released, but now that it's in our arsenal we might as well use it. There's an ominous tone to the entirely empty cup pouring out a suspiciously colored liquid, so you could use it to to convey how done you are with a situation or how drained you feel. It's a modern emoji for the modern era!
Empty jar
Ah, finally an emoji you can use to invite your crush to go firefly catching! Pair it with the sparkle emoji for maximum romantic effect. Bonus points if you listen to "Fireflies" by Owl City while sending that text.