woman shrugging
Unicode: 1F937 200D 2640
Description
A woman shrugging, indicated by open palms facing upwards and shoulders raised, typically conveying 'I don't know' or 'I don't care'.
Group:
People & Body > person-gesture
Status:
minimally-qualified
Emotion:
Typically expresses uncertainty, indifference, confusion, resignation, or a lack of knowledge/responsibility.
Backstory
The shrug gesture itself is ancient and universal. This specific emoji, representing a 'person shrugging', was introduced in Unicode 9.0 (2016). The 'woman shrugging' (1F937 200D 2640) is a more specific variant providing gender diversity.
Usage Examples
- When asked a question you don't know the answer to: 'Where did I put my keys? 🤷♀️'
- Expressing indifference: 'Whatever, I guess. 🤷♀️'
- Conveying resignation: 'Well, it is what it is. 🤷♀️'
- Showing confusion: 'Why did that happen? 🤷♀️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely understood as a non-committal gesture for 'I don't know' or 'What can I do?'.
East Asian culture:
Less commonly used in physical gestures, but its digital representation is understood universally due to pop culture.