Surprise, surprise! People on the internet are offended by something. It turns out that the period emoji, which is a simple image of a red drop against a blue backdrop, managed to upset some folks. Some considerate gentlemen believe they had spoken on behalf of womankind when they branded the emoji ā€œdisgustingā€, ā€œnot classyā€ and ā€œpointless.ā€ Twitter is full of bewildered men, wondering how the period emoji may be of any use to them. Perhaps they didn't get the memo that not everything is about them.

In case you are late to the party, letā€™s fill you in. The non-descript period emoji was released in a bid to end stigma against menstruation by Plan International. A survey showed that 47 percent of women believed the emoji could help them openly talk about periods.

The backlash by the pearl-clutching folks is hilarious but not surprising. Take a look at some of the reactions on Twitter. Let the ignorance parade begin!

Here are the tweets:

Many of these prudes have severe issues with discussing periods. Why? Because period blood is a bodily secretion and no one needs to know what comes out of which orifice. We donā€™t talk about those over emojis! Except that we do.

It looks like they havenā€™t been paying attention. The period emoji is not the first ā€œoffensiveā€ one on the list. Have you forgotten about these?

The Poop Emoji

Poop emoji (Photo Credits: File Image)

The oddly-happy swirl of excrement has been around for a long time, but no one batted an eyelid. Speaking of uselessness. Tell me one instance where a conversation can be enriched using the poop emoji. And is there anything more offensive and gross than poop? Yes, there is. Your double standards!

The Vomit Emoji

Sick emoji (Photo Credits: File Image)

So no one saw this before? In what world is vomitus a more respectable bodily fluid that period blood, which, BTW is entirely sterile when it is discharged.

The Middle Finger Emoji

Middle finger emoji (Photo Credits: File Image)

To all you self-anointed guardians of societyā€™s moralityā€¦.

Yes, you!Ā Would you try flipping the bird in front of all the children you so want to protect? I thought so too! So where was your outrage all these days?

The Droplets Emoji

Droplets emoji (Photo Credits: File Image)

Sure, they are just three droplets. They donā€™t look anything like semen. But will you ever get yourself to admit that you HAVE used them one too many times in naughty conversations before?

The Fart Emoji

Fart emoji (Photo Credits: File Image)

No gust of wind every looked like thatā€¦EVER! You can call it the Speeding Off emoji. But we all know what that is.

Hereā€™s the thing about the period emoji. If it offends you, you donā€™t have to use it. A single drop-shaped emoji cannot corrupt the children nor tear at the moral fibre of society. Believe it or not; by adding periods to our ā€œdigital vocabularyā€ women and girls all over the world will find it easier to start conversations around menses. It may be a small step, but itā€™s a crucial one towards destigmatising and normalising menstruation. And your outrage is futile.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2019 10:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).