As the popular saying goes, ‘Change is the only constant.’ And, consumer products are no exception. Interestingly, this time it is the women-focused nonprofit, Plan International, that is driving the change, having launched a campaign to include a change in the representative list of ‘emojis’, popular ideograms used while chatting. The organization has suggested an official period emoji in the hopes that such a symbol can wash away the social stigma surrounding menstruation.

With just over two billion smartphone users across the globe, ‘Emojis’ are something almost everyone with a smartphone has used, or, at the very least, is aware of. And it was only recently that the Unicode Consortium had announced their shortlist for 2019, which positively included 55 character emojis representing couples of different genders and skin tones.

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Plan International, an NGO that works for the cause of girls, has started a campaign on the taboo surrounding menstruation, and what better way to begin than with a period emoji. These emojis include ‘period pants’ and a ‘drop of blood’. The emojis will be sent to the Unicode Consortium for approval. The oragnization says, “We think the best way to get a period emoji now is to ask the Unicode Consortium for our blood drop to be included instead.”

As reported earlier, the Unicode Consortium is scheduled to meet in September where the list of draft candidates will be reviewed and finalized. If approved, this definitely will be a boost to the NGO’s attempts at normalizing the beliefs surrounding menstruation. Moreover, it will be in line with the consortium’s stance of promoting inclusiveness.

The popularity of text messaging doesn’t require any new introduction, considering WhatsApp, a popular chatting app, alone has around 1.5 billion active users across the globe. And, a period emoji would be a positive inclusion, helping users across the globe remove the stigma about menstruation.