thumbs down: medium skin tone
Unicode: 1F44E 1F3FD
Description
A hand with its palm facing outward, thumb pointing down, and fingers slightly curled, indicating disapproval, dislike, or a 'thumbs down' gesture, with medium-dark skin tone.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-closed
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents disapproval, dislike, failure, rejection, or negativity.
Backstory
The thumbs-down gesture has ancient origins, famously associated with ancient Roman gladiatorial contests (though its exact meaning and use in that context are debated by historians). In modern times, it has become a universal non-verbal signal of disapproval, opposition, or negativity. The emoji was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010), with skin tone modifiers added later to allow for more inclusive representation.
Usage Examples
- Expressing dislike for something: 'I really didn't enjoy that movie. 👎🏽'
- Indicating failure or rejection: 'My proposal was rejected. 👎🏽'
- Reacting to a negative situation: 'The show was cancelled. 👎🏽'
- Disagreement: 'I don't agree with that idea. 👎🏽'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely understood as a sign of disapproval, 'thumbs down', or rejection, especially in contexts like voting, product reviews, or expressing cinematic dissatisfaction.
East Asian culture:
Generally understood as disapproval, similar to Western contexts. However, in some very specific, older contexts, it might have different meanings (e.g., in ancient Roman gladiatorial games, though often misinterpreted). Its modern digital use is globally consistent with disapproval.
Middle East/South America:
In some countries, particularly in parts of the Middle East and South America, a 'thumbs down' can be considered an offensive or insulting gesture, equivalent to giving someone the middle finger in Western cultures. Users should be mindful of this when communicating cross-culturally.