Improved gender parity will soon be coming to an iPhone near you. Apple announced last week that its iOS 10 update, to be released in the spring in Australia, will feature more than 100 new and redesigned emoji characters, with an emphasis on gender diversity.
The update will include a female runner emoji, along with a female mountain biker, surfer, weightlifter, swimmer, and basketball player. Mashable reported that the new female athlete emoji characters would offer a choice of skin tones.
Last spring, US 5000-metre record holder Molly Huddle tweeted about the need for a female runner emoji and got a positive response.
When can we get a girl runner emoji? It’s hampering my communication?? #putaponytailonit#itstime#ispeakinemoji
— Molly Huddle (@MollyHuddle) October 18, 2015
When she wasn’t busy dominating the US road circuit last year, she submitted her idea for a female runner emoji character to the Unicode Consortium.
In June, Facebook introduced a female runner emoji character for its Messenger platform.
Other elite athletes expressed admiration for Huddle’s off-the-track pursuit.
@HastyHastings just trying to leave the world better than I found it, ya know? ??
— Molly Huddle (@MollyHuddle) August 2, 2016
