old man: medium skin tone
Unicode: 1F474 1F3FD
Description
An old man emoji depicted with a light skin tone. Features a bald head with white hair on the sides, prominent eyebrows, and sometimes a mustache or beard, conveying the stereotypical appearance of an elderly male.
Group:
People & Body > person
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents age, wisdom, experience, or can be used as a literal depiction of an old man, grandfather, or elder. Can also imply a sense of tradition or 'old school' values.
Backstory
The 'Old Man' emoji (👴) was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010. The addition of the skin tone modifier (🏻, 🏼, 🏽, 🏾, 🏿) came with Emoji 2.0 in 2015, allowing for greater representation of diverse skin tones. This emoji, along with other age-based figures, helps to represent different stages of human life in digital communication.
Usage Examples
- Referring to a grandfather: 'Visited my grandpa today! 👴🏻'
- Implying wisdom or age: 'He's got years of experience, he's like a wise old man. 👴🏻'
- Describing someone with traditional tastes: 'He likes classic rock, he's a bit of an old man. 👴🏻'
- In a humorous context about getting old: 'My back hurts, I'm turning into an old man! 👴🏻'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Often used to refer to a grandfather, elderly relative, or as a playful term for someone wise or set in their ways. Can also imply 'old-fashioned' or 'classic'.
East Asian culture:
May hold a stronger connotation of respect for elders and wisdom, often used in contexts of family or ancestral veneration. Can also be used colloquially to refer to an older male authoritative figure.