Man In Tuxedo Emoji
U+1F935 U+200D U+2642 U+FE0F:man_in_tuxedo:Skin tonesAbout Man In Tuxedo 🤵♂️
Man In Tuxedo () is part of the People & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E13.0. Type on GitHub and Slack to use it. 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 formal, groom, man, and 2 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 in a tuxedo with a bow tie. 🤵♂️ is the formal event emoji: weddings, galas, prom, black-tie dinners, and any occasion where you're not wearing jeans. The base emoji (🤵 Person in Tuxedo) was approved in Unicode 9.0 (2016) and originally showed only a man. The explicitly male ZWJ variant 🤵♂️ was added in Emoji 13.0 (2020) when 🤵♀️ (Woman in Tuxedo) was also introduced, making the original 🤵 gender-neutral.
The emoji's dominant association is weddings. A groom at the altar is the first image most people have. But it also works for James Bond energy, awards ceremonies, New Year's Eve, and the general concept of "cleaning up nice." In some contexts, it's a class signal: "feeling fancy tonight 🤵♂️" or "treated myself 🤵♂️" for anything elevated above the everyday.
The word "tuxedo" itself has one of the best origin stories in fashion. It comes from Tuxedo Park, New York, an exclusive hunting reserve founded by tobacco millionaire Pierre Lorillard IV. On October 10, 1886, at the inaugural Autumn Ball, Griswold Lorillard (Pierre's son) showed up in a tailless black jacket instead of the standard swallow-tailed coat. Society was scandalized, then impressed, and the jacket became known as the "tuxedo" after the club where it debuted.
On social media, 🤵♂️ peaks during wedding season (May-October) and formal event seasons (prom in spring, galas in winter, New Year's Eve). Grooms use it in wedding announcement posts. Prom-goers include it in getting-ready content. Awards show watchers deploy it during red carpet commentary.
The "feeling fancy" use is year-round. "Steak dinner 🤵♂️" or "first class upgrade 🤵♂️" for anything that feels like a step up in luxury. It's the inverse of the tracksuit. When your life briefly feels like a James Bond movie, this is the emoji.
On dating apps, 🤵♂️ appears in bios and photos to signal "I clean up well." It's a way of saying "yes I own a suit and know how to wear it." In fashion content, it represents menswear, tailoring, and the broader formal style category.
A man in a tuxedo, used for weddings, formal events, galas, prom, and any black-tie occasion. Also channels James Bond energy, 'feeling fancy' moments, and the general concept of looking your best.
What it means from...
From a crush, 🤵♂️ is either about a formal event they're attending ("gala tonight 🤵♂️") or a way of saying they're dressed up. If they send it while getting ready to see you, they're putting in effort. That's a good sign.
Between partners, it's wedding planning ("found your tux 🤵♂️"), date night elevation ("we're going fancy tonight 🤵♂️"), or the mutual "let's pretend we're in a movie" energy. Also used for anniversary dinners and the occasional "I actually ironed my shirt" flex.
Among friends, 🤵♂️ marks formal events: "prom let's go 🤵♂️" or "wedding this weekend 🤵♂️." Also used when a friend who normally wears hoodies shows up in a suit: "who is this man 🤵♂️."
In family contexts, it's weddings and milestones. "Your brother on his wedding day 🤵♂️" or "dad looks so good in his suit 🤵♂️." Family group chats light up with this emoji during wedding seasons.
At work, it signals formal events: company galas, industry awards, or client dinners. "Black tie tonight 🤵♂️" in the team chat. It also gets ironic use: "wearing a suit to the office for the first time in three years 🤵♂️."
From a stranger, it's context-dependent. On dating apps, it signals formality and effort. In event-related contexts, it marks attendance. In fashion content, it's a style statement.
Flirty or friendly?
🤵♂️ has moderate flirt potential. Dressing up is inherently about looking good for someone. "Getting ready 🤵♂️" before a date is a clear signal of effort. The emoji communicates "I'm putting in work on my appearance," which is flattering to the person they're dressing up for.
- •Getting ready for a date with you? The tuxedo emoji IS the flirtation. He's making an effort.
- •At a wedding? Event context, not romantic toward you specifically.
- •In a dating bio? He's advertising that he cleans up well.
- •After you complimented his outfit? He's acknowledging and preening. Good sign.
He's at a formal event, getting dressed up, or channeling suave energy. If he sends it before seeing you, he's signaling he's making an effort to look good. If it's a selfie with 🤵♂️, he wants you to notice.
She's referring to a man who's dressed up (possibly you), talking about a wedding or event, or expressing appreciation for formal menswear. 'He showed up like 🤵♂️' means she noticed the effort.
Emoji combos
Origin story
The tuxedo's origin story is one of fashion's best. On October 10, 1886, at the inaugural Autumn Ball at the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo Park, New York, Griswold Lorillard and several associates arrived wearing short black jackets without tails. The era's standard formal wear was the swallow-tailed coat, so showing up in a tailless jacket was the 1886 equivalent of wearing sneakers to a wedding.
The style wasn't Lorillard's invention. Earlier that year, New York millionaire James Potter had visited the Prince of Wales at Sandringham House. When Potter asked for a dinner dress recommendation, the Prince sent him to his tailor, Henry Poole & Co. in London, to get the new tailless dinner jacket that was gaining popularity in English private clubs. Potter brought the jacket back to Tuxedo Park, and the Autumn Ball gave it its American debut.
The jacket became known as "the tuxedo" after the club, distinguishing the American variant from the British "dinner jacket." By the 1890s, it had become the standard for formal evening wear. The word "tuxedo" itself comes from the Lenape word tuksit meaning "crooked river" or "clear flowing water," referring to the P'tooksit River near the park.
As an emoji, the tuxedo-wearing person arrived in Unicode 9.0 (2016). It originally showed only a man (the name was literally "Man in Tuxedo"). In 2020, Unicode added 🤵♀️ (Woman in Tuxedo), recognizing that women wear tuxedos too. The original 🤵 was reframed as gender-neutral, and 🤵♂️ became the explicitly male variant.
The base 🤵 was approved in Unicode 9.0 (June 2016) under the name "Man in Tuxedo" at codepoint . Added to Emoji 3.0 (2016). When 🤵♀️ (Woman in Tuxedo) was introduced in Emoji 13.0 (2020), the original 🤵 was repositioned as gender-neutral, and the explicitly male 🤵♂️ became a ZWJ sequence: + + + .
Design history
Around the world
In the US and UK, the tuxedo is standard black-tie attire. It carries associations of wealth, formality, and special occasions. The emoji maps directly to this cultural context.
In much of South and Southeast Asia, wedding attire for men is traditional dress (sherwani in India/Pakistan, hanbok in Korea, ao dai in Vietnam) rather than a Western tuxedo. The emoji's meaning as "groom" is Western-centric.
In Japan, the tuxedo is associated with host clubs and formal events. In anime, tuxedo-wearing characters (Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon being the most famous) carry a specific romantic-hero archetype.
The James Bond association is global. Bond's tuxedo is arguably the most famous fictional garment in cinema history, recognized across cultures even where black-tie events aren't common.
From Tuxedo Park, New York, where Griswold Lorillard debuted the tailless dinner jacket at an 1886 ball. The word 'tuxedo' itself comes from the Lenape word 'tuksit' meaning 'crooked river,' which named the area long before it named the garment.
Often confused with
🤵 was originally a man but is now gender-neutral. 🤵♂️ is explicitly male. Use 🤵♂️ when the person's gender matters (groom at a wedding) and 🤵 for general formal attire references.
🤵 was originally a man but is now gender-neutral. 🤵♂️ is explicitly male. Use 🤵♂️ when the person's gender matters (groom at a wedding) and 🤵 for general formal attire references.
👔 (Necktie) represents business formal or professional attire. 🤵♂️ is a step above: black-tie, ceremonial, once-in-a-while formal. Necktie is Tuesday. Tuxedo is Saturday night.
👔 (Necktie) represents business formal or professional attire. 🤵♂️ is a step above: black-tie, ceremonial, once-in-a-while formal. Necktie is Tuesday. Tuxedo is Saturday night.
Do's and don'ts
- ✓Use for weddings, formal events, and black-tie occasions
- ✓Deploy for James Bond energy and suave moments
- ✓Include in groom content and wedding announcements
- ✓Use when someone cleans up notably well
- ✗Use it daily (tuxedos are special precisely because they're rare)
- ✗Send it to someone who can't afford formal events (reads as tone-deaf)
- ✗Forget that 🤵♀️ exists for women in tuxedos
- ✗Overuse for generic 'I look nice' moments (save it for actual formal occasions)
No, though weddings are the most common use. It works for any formal occasion: galas, award ceremonies, prom, New Year's Eve, or just when someone is dressed notably better than usual.
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
Type it as text
Fun facts
- •The word "tuxedo" comes from the Lenape word *tuksit*, meaning "crooked river" or "clear flowing water." It referred to the P'tooksit River near Tuxedo Park, New York, where the garment got its name.
- •Griswold Lorillard scandalized the 1886 Autumn Ball at Tuxedo Park by wearing a tailless jacket. The Prince of Wales had recommended the style to American millionaire James Potter, who brought it to the club. Society was shocked, then copied it.
- •The original emoji (🤵) was named "Man in Tuxedo" in Unicode 9.0 (2016). When 🤵♀️ (Woman in Tuxedo) was added in 2020, the original was reframed as gender-neutral. It took four years for Unicode to acknowledge that women wear tuxedos too.
- •James Bond has worn a tuxedo in every film since 1962. The Bond tuxedo is arguably the most famous fictional garment in cinema, which is why 🤵♂️🍸 is instantly recognizable as a 007 reference.
Common misinterpretations
- •Sending 🤵♂️ casually (for a slightly nicer than normal outfit) dilutes its impact. The tuxedo emoji works best when saved for genuinely formal occasions. Using it for wearing a button-down to brunch is emoji inflation.
- •In cultures where traditional wedding attire isn't a Western tuxedo, using 🤵♂️ to represent "groom" can feel culturally mismatched. The emoji depicts specifically Western formalwear.
In pop culture
- •James Bond in a tuxedo is cinema's most iconic formal look. Sean Connery in *Dr. No* (1962)) established the Bond-in-a-tux template that every subsequent actor has followed. The 🤵♂️🍸 combination is an instant 007 reference.
- •Tuxedo Mask (Mamoru Chiba) from Sailor Moon (1991) created an anime archetype: the mysterious, tuxedo-wearing hero who swoops in to save the protagonist. He's the reason the tuxedo carries romantic-hero energy in anime communities.
- •The Tuxedo Park Autumn Ball of 1886 is one of fashion's most consequential parties. Griswold Lorillard's decision to wear a tailless jacket accidentally created a garment category that defines formal menswear to this day.
Trivia
For developers
- •ZWJ sequence: (Person in Tuxedo) + + (Male Sign) + (VS-16). Total: 4 codepoints.
- •Supports skin tone modifiers on the base person.
- •Shortcodes: (GitHub, Slack).
- •The base was originally named 'Man in Tuxedo' (Unicode 9.0, 2016) but was reframed as gender-neutral in Emoji 13.0 (2020) when the woman variant was added.
- •Wedding-related: pairs naturally with 👰 (Bride), 💍 (Ring), 💒 (Church), 🥂 (Champagne).
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
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