January 15, 2015
LA Creative Director Launches iOS App 'Lesbian Emojis'
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A Los Angeles creative director was so frustrated by Apple's lack of lesbian-themed emojis that she just went and created her own. Business Insider reports that Kimberly Linn started the whole thing as an Instagram account of designs that touched on popular lesbian jokes and stereotypes.
"The idea started as a joke between me and my friends," said Linn. "I never really thought it was going to turn into anything. It had a small little following."
The joke became profitable soon, as Linn launched the iTunes iOS app Lesbian Emojis featuring images including a UHaul truck, lesbian couples in wedding gear, unicorns, rainbows, fish tacos, chicks with mullets, girls kissing, ladies on rollerblades and mowing the lawn, butch tattoos and nail clippers. There're even images of a turkey baster and a pregnant lesbian.
For a closer look at the hilarious assortment, check out Linn's Instagram account, and be sure to scroll down past the icon on lesbian twin rockers Tegan & Sara to page two's assortment of emojis. Business Insider reports that it has more than 10,000 followers.
Eventually, her boss at Pitch, the ad agency she works for, approached her about making an app, and connected her with developers at 99centbrains.
"My boss came up to me and she was, like, 'I talked to the president and we're so proud of you. We want to help you turn this into an app if that's what your goal is,'" said Linn.
The app launched two weeks ago, and although Lesbian Emojis doesn't work with the iMessage keyboard, users can copy and paste the icons into iMessage, or open up a new iMessage in the app.
Linn said that each emoji takes anywhere from 20 minutes to four hours to create, and she'd ideally like to expand the project to a wide line of gay emojis.
"I want to do one for gay men," said Linn. "I'd eventually love to turn Lesbian Emojis into LGBT emojis."
We can't wait to see a line of tiny emojis that include poppers, jock straps and drag queen's balls crammed into tiny little pantyhose.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
