Man: Curly Hair Emoji
U+1F468 U+200D U+1F9B1:curly_haired_man:Skin tonesAbout Man: Curly Hair π¨βπ¦±
Man: Curly Hair () is part of the People & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E11.0. Type on GitHub and Slack to use it. On Discord it's . Click copy above to grab it, paste it anywhere.
Works in iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Instagram, Twitter, Gmail, and every app that supports Unicode. Pick a skin tone above to customize it.
Often associated with adult, bro, curly hair, and 1 more keywords.
Meaning varies across cultures, see cultural notes below.
Scroll down for the full story: meaning, trends, combos, and more.
How it looks
What does it mean?
A man with curly hair. That's the literal description, but the story behind why it exists is more layered than you'd expect from a hairstyle emoji.
Before Emoji 11.0, every person emoji had the same hair: straight and dark. If you had curly, red, white, or no hair, you couldn't represent yourself. Jeremy Burge, founder of Emojipedia, authored the proposal requesting curly, red, white, and bald hair options. Red and curly were the two most-requested additions. The proposal used celebrity examples to illustrate the gap: Kit Harington for curly, Jessica Chastain for red, Anderson Cooper for white, Samuel L. Jackson for bald. It landed in Unicode 11.0 in 2018.
For many people with naturally textured hair, π¨β𦱠was a long-overdue correction. Reactions on social media ranged from relieved ("finally an emoji that looks like me") to critical ("trying to minimize a wide range of natural textures into one emoji seems like a major cop-out," Refinery29 documented). That tension hasn't gone away. In 2025, Dove's "Code My Crown" campaign formally proposed four new emojis for afro, locs, braids, and cornrows, arguing that the curly hair component isn't enough to represent Black hairstyles.
People use π¨β𦱠in two main ways: as a self-representation emoji ("that's me" in a bio or profile) and as a descriptor ("the guy with curly hair"). It shows up in conversations about haircare, natural hair journeys, and the universal experience of humidity turning your carefully styled curls into a frizz disaster.
On TikTok, the curly hair emoji is a staple in the #curlyhair community, which has billions of views. It appears in product recommendations, curl routine videos, and the very relatable humidity horror content where someone's hair doubles in volume within minutes of stepping outside.
In dating contexts, it's sometimes used to describe physical appearance ("he's the π¨β𦱠one") or as a compliment. There's a whole internet trope about curly-haired guys being attractive, and the emoji occasionally carries that energy.
It represents a man with curly hair. People use it for self-representation, physical descriptions, and in curly hair care conversations. It was added in 2018 as part of a hair diversity expansion that also included red, white, and bald hair options.
What it means from...
If someone sends you π¨βπ¦±, they're probably describing you (or someone else) physically. In a flirty context, it might be a compliment about your hair. Curly hair has a "heartthrob" reputation on the internet, so this could be their way of calling you attractive without saying it outright.
It's you. They're referring to you by your hair. It's the relationship equivalent of a nickname. Or they're telling a story and describing someone: "ran into π¨β𦱠from accounting." Context makes it clear.
Likely a descriptor. "You know π¨βπ¦±?" is friend-code for identifying someone by their most visible feature. Also shows up in haircare conversations: "any π¨β𦱠product recommendations?"
Physical descriptor, nothing more. "Ask π¨β𦱠in marketing" is faster than remembering someone's name in a large office. Neutral and practical.
From a stranger, this is almost always a physical description or self-identification. No hidden meanings to decode. It's hair.
She's probably describing someone with curly hair, possibly you. In a flirty context, it could be a physical compliment. Curly hair has a 'heartthrob' reputation online. But most of the time it's simply a descriptor, not a signal.
Emoji combos
Origin story
The curly hair emoji has its roots in one of the most-requested emoji additions ever. For years, users complained that every person emoji had straight, dark hair. The emoji set had skin tone diversity (since Unicode 8.0 in 2015) but zero hair diversity.
Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia, formally proposed the fix. His submission to Unicode requested four new hair components: red (π¦°), curly (π¦±), white (π¦³), and bald (π¦²). To make the case, he included celebrity examples of each type: Kit Harington for curly, Jessica Chastain for red, Anderson Cooper for white, and Samuel L. Jackson for bald. Red and curly were the two most-requested additions by the public.
The technical approach was to create hair components that modify person emojis via ZWJ, similar to how skin tone modifiers work. This meant you could combine any person base (π¨, π©, or later π§) with any hair component to get dozens of new representations without needing dozens of new codepoints.
It shipped in Unicode 11.0 in June 2018. The reaction was mixed. Many celebrated finally seeing their hair represented. Others, particularly in Black and mixed-race communities, pointed out that a single "curly hair" emoji couldn't represent the full range of afro-textured hairstyles: locs, braids, cornrows, afros, twists. Rhianna Jones submitted a proposal for an afro emoji in 2019, backed by 65,000 signatures, but Unicode declined, saying curly hair was "sufficiently representative." In 2025, Dove and RISE.365 revived the push with their "Code My Crown" campaign, proposing four textured hairstyle emojis.
Added in Emoji 11.0 (June 2018). The emoji is a ZWJ sequence combining Man + ZWJ + Curly Hair. The 𦱠component was introduced in Unicode 11.0 as an "Emoji Component" alongside 𦰠(Red Hair), 𦳠(White Hair), and 𦲠(Bald). These components don't display on their own on most platforms but modify person emojis via ZWJ.
Design history
- 2017Jeremy Burge (Emojipedia) submits hair diversity proposal to Unicode requesting curly, red, white, and bald optionsβ
- 2018Unicode 11.0 ships with four hair component emojis (π¦°π¦±π¦³π¦²) and ZWJ combinations for men and womenβ
- 2019Rhianna Jones proposes afro emoji backed by 65,000 signatures. Unicode declines, citing curly hair as sufficient.
- 2020Emoji 13.1 adds gender-neutral π§β𦱠(Person: Curly Hair) alongside the existing gendered versions
- 2025Dove's 'Code My Crown' campaign proposes four new emojis for afro, locs, braids, and cornrowsβ
Around the world
In Western countries, π¨β𦱠is broadly used as a self-representation tool. The natural hair movement, which gained mainstream momentum in the 2010s, gave the emoji additional cultural weight in African American and Afro-diasporic communities. "Curly hair" in this context isn't just a style. It's a statement about identity, self-acceptance, and pushing back against decades of straight-hair beauty standards.
The criticism that one curly emoji can't represent the diversity of Black hairstyles is ongoing. Dove's research found that 8 in 10 Black Americans struggle to find emojis that accurately reflect their hair. Despite 4,000+ emojis in existence, none represent locs, braids, cornrows, or afros specifically.
In Latin American countries, the emoji is often used more casually for anyone with curly or wavy hair, without the same identity politics weight. In South Asian contexts, curly hair is common enough that the emoji functions as a simple physical descriptor.
Unicode rejected a 65,000-signature petition for a dedicated afro emoji in 2019, saying the curly hair component was 'sufficiently representative.' Many disagree. In 2025, Dove's 'Code My Crown' campaign proposed four new textured hairstyle emojis (afro, locs, braids, cornrows). The proposal is under review.
No. π¨β𦱠represents curly hair generally. An afro is a specific hairstyle with cultural significance, particularly in Black and African-diaspora communities. There is currently no dedicated afro, locs, braids, or cornrows emoji, which is an ongoing point of advocacy.
Popularity ranking
Often confused with
Person: Curly Hair (π§βπ¦±) is the gender-neutral version, added in Emoji 13.1. π¨β𦱠is specifically male. At small sizes they can look very similar. Choose based on whether gender matters in context.
Person: Curly Hair (π§βπ¦±) is the gender-neutral version, added in Emoji 13.1. π¨β𦱠is specifically male. At small sizes they can look very similar. Choose based on whether gender matters in context.
Woman: Curly Hair (π©βπ¦±). The female counterpart. Together with π¨β𦱠and π§βπ¦±, they form the full gender set for curly hair.
Woman: Curly Hair (π©βπ¦±). The female counterpart. Together with π¨β𦱠and π§βπ¦±, they form the full gender set for curly hair.
π¨β𦱠is a man with curly hair, π©β𦱠is a woman with curly hair, and π§β𦱠is a gender-neutral person with curly hair. They all use the same 𦱠Curly Hair component. The gender-neutral version was added later in Emoji 13.1.
Do's and don'ts
- βUse it for self-representation if you have curly hair
- βUse it as a physical descriptor when identifying someone in a story
- βCelebrate natural hair and curl pride with it
- βPair with haircare emojis for relatable curly hair content
- βDon't assume it represents all textured hair types. Locs, braids, and afros are distinct styles.
- βDon't use it to stereotype. Curly hair doesn't define personality.
- βBe mindful that Black communities have valid critiques about this emoji's limitations
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
Type it as text
Fun facts
- β’The hair emoji proposal used celebrity examples: Kit Harington for curly, Jessica Chastain for red, Anderson Cooper for white, Samuel L. Jackson for bald. Jeremy Burge picked them to make the gap feel visceral.
- β’Red and curly were the two most-requested hair additions by users before Emoji 11.0.
- β’A 65,000-signature petition for a dedicated afro emoji was rejected by Unicode in 2019. They said the curly hair component was "sufficiently representative." Many disagreed.
- β’Bob Ross's famous curly hair was actually a perm. He had naturally straight hair but got a perm to save on haircuts. He grew to dislike it but couldn't change it because it was on his brand's logo.
- β’Dove's 2025 research found that 8 in 10 Black Americans can't find an emoji that accurately represents their hair, despite 4,000+ emojis existing.
Common misinterpretations
- β’Assuming π¨β𦱠covers all textured hair types. It represents one style of curl. Afros, locs, braids, and cornrows are distinct hairstyles with distinct cultural significance. Using π¨β𦱠as a catch-all can feel dismissive to people whose specific hair isn't represented.
- β’On older devices, the ZWJ sequence may break apart into π¨π¦± (a man emoji followed by a separate curly hair component), which looks like a man standing next to a floating blob of hair.
In pop culture
- β’Bob Ross and his iconic perm are the first association many people make with π¨βπ¦±. The irony: Ross's curly hair was a perm over naturally straight hair, and he reportedly hated it but couldn't change it because it was part of his brand.
- β’The #CurlyHair TikTok community (billions of views) uses π¨β𦱠and π©β𦱠as community markers. Humidity horror videos where someone's curls expand in real time are a genre unto themselves.
- β’Dove's "Code My Crown" campaign in 2025, backed by Olympic hurdler Tara Davis-Woodhall, put the curly hair emoji's limitations in the spotlight, arguing it fails to represent Black hairstyles and proposing four new textured hair emojis.
Trivia
For developers
- β’ZWJ sequence: (Man) + (ZWJ) + (Curly Hair). Shortcode: or .
- β’Skin tone variants add a Fitzpatrick modifier after the man component: for light skin. That's 5 skin tone variants Γ 1 hair type = 5 total for this emoji.
- β’The 𦱠component is an "Emoji Component" in Unicode (like skin tone modifiers). It's not meant to be used standalone. Some platforms render it, others show nothing.
- β’In JavaScript, returns 5 (two surrogate pairs + ZWJ). The skin-toned version returns 7.
Yes. It supports all five Fitzpatrick skin tone modifiers: π¨π»βπ¦±, π¨πΌβπ¦±, π¨π½βπ¦±, π¨πΎβπ¦±, π¨πΏβπ¦±. On most platforms, you can long-press the emoji to select your preferred skin tone.
It was added in Emoji 11.0 (June 2018) as part of a hair diversity proposal by Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia. It shipped alongside red hair (π¦°), white hair (π¦³), and bald (π¦²) components.
It's a ZWJ (Zero Width Joiner) sequence. On devices that don't support it, the sequence breaks into its components: a man emoji plus a floating curly hair symbol. This is a rendering issue, not a bug in your message.
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
How do you use π¨βπ¦±?
Select all that apply
- Man: Curly Hair on Emojipedia (emojipedia.org)
- Science, Planets, Curly Hair on Unicode Agenda (Emojipedia Blog) (blog.emojipedia.org)
- Unicode Emoji 11.0 characters now final (Unicode Blog) (blog.unicode.org)
- Curly Hair Emoji Reactions (Refinery29) (refinery29.com)
- Emoji Hair Style - Bald, Natural (Refinery29) (refinery29.com)
- Dove Code My Crown Campaign (dove.com)
- Afro Emojis Still Don't Exist (Remezcla) (remezcla.com)
- Bob Ross Hair Story (HuffPost) (huffpost.com)
- Emoji Frequency (Unicode) (home.unicode.org)
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