A breastfeeding emoji is coming our way

And it’s about time.

In this day and age a lot of conversations are predominantly made up of emoticons, so it’s actually pretty important that they're conveying the right message.

The past few years have seen petitions and complaints from the public, with calls for a more representative emoji selection.

It is great news therefore that the emoji palette has come on leaps and bounds since then, with regular updates offering increasing levels of diversity.

We’re talking people of all colours, genders, sexual orientations and careers.

Just this week a new Apple update has been announced, with the company marking World Emoji Day by unveiling 12 new icons soon to appear on our iPhones.

The new additions, which include a bearded man and a zebra emoji, are actually more groundbreaking than they seem, also featuring a woman wearing a headscarf and a woman breastfeeding – it’s about time.

Breastfeeding in public has been a divisive topic for years, with a huge amount of people still deeming it inappropriate. While the introduction of a breastfeeding emoticon might not change their views entirely, it is a step towards normalising and destigmatising breastfeeding in public.

And this isn’t the only way that the company has taken it upon itself to empower women with emojis. Yes, we're talking about the gender equality emojis.

The company released an updated selection of career emojis last year in an effort to promote gender equality – and after it was pointed out that the only female job available was a bride.

Now, the profession emoji selection is incredibly advanced, offering male and female icons of every skin colour in a huge range of jobs. Whether you’re a scientist, an artist, a fire fighter, a chef, a lawyer, an engineer or even an astronaut, there will be an icon that represents you.