In case eggplants are too subtle, Grindr releases more, um, expressive emoji
Subtlety is so last year.
Sometimes you just want to be more, well, specific. After all, what's a late-night booty call without the explicit promise of feasting on some eggplant?
Gay dating app Grindr understands this all too perfectly, and this week released its own set of custom emoji designed to slide comfortably right into that naughty place in your texting heart.
Pink News first picked up the semiotic breakthrough, and noted that there are more than just pierced aubergines to experiment with. Whether it's a cloud of raining men, a peeping eye, or a dude on a top bunk, the character set provides Grindr's mostly male user base with plenty of options to telegraph their desire.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Handcuffs, leather daddies, a unicorn, and a polaroid of a peach — there's a little something for everyone.
The update is not without a key bump of controversy, however, as at least one user pointed out that "T" is slang for meth. Although, to be fair, a giant golden "T" emoji could these days just be an endorsement of the 45th president of the United States. (Hey, who wouldn't appreciate an in-Grindr shout out?)
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
While many of these play off existing emoji usage, a few are brand new entrants to the pictorial texting scene. With that in mind, please allow us to act as your definitive (and definitely hip/in-the-know) interpreter. Emoji is an evolving language, after all.
First off, the hand spanking the money. This one is perhaps the easiest: Humans have long sought to tame their animal nature, and this emoji represents man's internal conflict as he seeks to beat back his baser instincts. It's some deep, philosophical stuff.
That brings us to the blindfolded and ball-gagged man. This image clearly tackles the small but meaningful compromises we are all forced to make as we go about our lives in a post-industrial society. Asked to ignore all the injustices in the world, we blind ourselves and keep trudging on.
We're not sure how this will be used in the context of Grindr, but we're also not about to judge.
The doll stabbed with pins, meanwhile, symbolizes rejecting childish things and turning toward a life of responsibility. That's definitely what it means.
And the rooster? That's just a cock.
