He’s A 10-Year-Old Boy From England Petitioning For Apple To Redesign The “Nerd” Emoji, Saying It’s An Insult To People Who Wear Glasses
Apple’s beloved emojis have undergone several changes over the last decade, and now a young boy in the U.K. is calling for another change.
Teddy Cottel, a 10-year-old boy from Peppard, Oxfordshire, England, is demanding that Apple redesign the “nerd” emoji.
You know, the nerd emoji, with its thick, black glasses and buck teeth? The nerd emoji is one of Apple’s oldest emojis, yet 10-year-old Teddy thinks it’s an insult to people with glasses.
Teddy attends Sonning Common Primary School and, at such a young age, has started an online petition, “No Nerd Emoji!” in hopes that Apple will ditch its nerd emoji design. He’s even designed an alternative option all by himself.
“I think the nerd emoji is offensive and insulting to all those people in the world who wear glasses,” wrote Teddy on his online petition.
“I think people who wear glasses are cool, and I am worried that people who are getting glasses for the first time will think they are going to look like rabbits or rats.”
Teddy doesn’t feel that the current “nerd” emoji properly represents what smart people look like and worries it will make people with glasses feel insecure. He also doesn’t think the emoji should be referred to as a nerd emoji anymore.
In Teddy’s redesign, he drew a yellow emoji icon with simple, round glasses and a pleasant, closed smile on its face. He has dubbed his new emoji the “genius emoji.”
Teddy is very passionate about this project and can even be seen crumpling up and throwing away pictures of the current nerd emoji in online interviews.
Pixel-Shot – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Teddy’s petition has earned over 2,145 signatures on Petitions.net so far, and he has a lot of people sending him words of support.
“I agree with Teddy’s concerns and would love to see the Genius emoji become a reality,” commented one supporter.
“I wear glasses too, and I agree with Teddy,” commented another supporter.
“You go, dude!”
Is there another emoji you think needs a redesign?
If you’d like to support Teddy’s cause and encourage Apple to take a look at the “genius emoji,” you can sign his petition here.
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