Teenage girl who inspired Disney to create first hero with glasses launches new emoji campaign

The teenage schoolgirl who inspired Disney to create its first glasses-wearing princess is now turning her attention to the company who makes emojis.

Lowri Moore, who is 13-years-old, is calling on the body responsible for all new emojis to give people the option of adding glasses to all emojis.

The determined teen, from Nottinghamshire, has already had one successful campaign to bring glasses more in to the mainstream.

In 2019, when she was just nine-years-old, she wrote to Disney to ask them to create a hero who wore spectacles.

Two years later, Mirabel Madrigal burst onto our screens in 2021 animated hit Encanto – proudly wearing her glasses.

So, just what is Lowri hoping to achieve with her latest campaign, and what other changes would she like to affect in the world?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Lowri’s latest campaign?

Lowri has launched her #GlassesOn campaign, which is calling on the Unicode Consortium, the body responsible for all new emojis, to give people the option of adding glasses to all emojis.

This is to reflect the diversity of glasses wearers and reduce the stigma that many young people still feel about glasses. She’d also like to see people be able to choose glasses of different shapes, sizes and colours.

The campaign has been launched today (Thursday 13 October) to coincide with World Sight Day. The national day takes place annually on the second Thursday of October, and is intended to raise awareness of blindness and vision impairment.

Lowri said: “We’re using phones an awful lot now, and it’s a main form of communication and  texting is a main form of communication

“Everyone is texting and using emojis all the time, and if we see images of people wearing glasses every day then it will help to break barriers.”

Lowri, who has worn glasses all her life, said her glasses are really important for her but she doesn’t see herself accurately reflected in emojis when she’s texting her school friends.

She said: “My glasses are really a part of me. Unfortunately, the only glasses wearing emoji I can find is a nerd face, unless you are a granny or a teacher. I’d love to see the option to add glasses to face emojis, similar to changing skin colour or hair colour which is already available.”

What is Lowri asking the technology companies to do?

Lowri is asking tech companies to not only enable people to be able to add glasses to existing emojis, but also create a brand new glasses-wearing emoji which she said is more positive than the current “nerd face” emoji.

In the letter she has written to Mark Davis, President of Unicode Consortium, Lowri said: “I would like to see the original emoji wearing glasses, but preferably not one that looks like a nerd.  I think this can be damaging as it helps to confirm the negative stereotype and stigma that we are trying hard to destroy.

“As I’m sure you know, people who wear glasses are not nerds. But unless we address this, there’s a chance the next generation will grow up believing this lie about themselves. You have the power to help us change this and that is why I am reaching out to you to ask for your help.”

Lowri’s mum Cyrilyn Moore, aged 44, said she is “really proud” of her daughter.

She said: “In the time that Lowri has been campaigning she’s met wonderful people in the eye sector, and people who need glasses but refuse to wear them because they are worried about being viewed negatively.

“It’s time to celebrate uniqueness and be grateful for sight. Addressing this issue with emojis would help to create better representation and normalise people wearing their glasses.

“The tech companies have got the user interface to do this already and if they can create  emojis of people wearing glasses it would be more true to life.”

What support has Lowri got for her campaign?

Lowri has already received support from her classmates and peers for her #GlassesOn campaign.

She has spoken to fellow teenagers at Paget High School, Burton-on-Trent, to explain the reasons for her campaign and ask for their backing.

She said: “I was very nervous to speak, but I tried to look confident. It was lovely to have such support. I wasn’t expecting it, but they agreed with my campaign and said they see that it’s important.”

Lowri has worked with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to create some glasses-wearing emojis, including a smiling emoji, a love face emoji, a laughing face emoji and an angry emoji.

Cyrilyn said one of Lowri’s school friends was so happy because she thought these new emojis looked just like her.

The students showed their support by co-signing her letter.

What else would Lowri like to change?

Lowri has already affected change on the big screen by successfully asking Disney to create a princess who wears glasses.

She’s now taking on companies who decide what we see on our mobile and tablet screens, but she’s also got her sights on tackling the lack of representation of glasses wearers in the bridal industry.

She said: “I want to look at the bridal industry next. I’m only 13, but I’ve been getting emails from brides asking if I think they should wear their glasses on their big day, even though they wear them every other day.

“If there were brides wearing glasses in magazines and in the mainstream media then I don’t think brides would be asking these questions. I want them to know that wearing their glasses doesn’t make them any less beautiful.”

For more information about Lowri and her #GlassesOn campaign, you can visit Lowri Moore’s official website.