12/19/2025
A few years ago, a friend came to yoga wearing the most beautiful purple pants. I swooned over the color. & after class, I asked where she got them—half-jokingly offering to buy them. She graciously agreed.
Later, while texting to thank her, I went searching for an emoji that matched the exact shade of purple. That’s when I spotted it—right there between the pineapple and the lettuce. The eggplant. Perfect. So I added it enthusiastically. 🍆🍆🍆🍆 🍆
Not long after, I was texting with someone joining me on retreat. I wanted to end our message with excitement, so I added a string of tropical emojis: 🌴☀️🧘🏻🌊🐒💫 And sitting there in my “recently used”? The eggplant. 🍆 So I tossed it in, just to be random.
To be funny. Over the next few weeks, I sent a handful of messages with yep… you guessed it—the eggplant. And occasionally, the conversation would just stop. No reply. I didn’t think much of it.
Months later, in a text exchange with my sister, she says: “Ten! You do know what the eggplant emoji means, don’t you?!?”
I did not. So I looked it up. In case you don’t know either: the eggplant emoji is widely recognized internet slang for… a suggestive reference to a p***s. It’s typically used in flirtatious or sexual contexts.
You can imagine my horror. I recalled everyone I’d sent it to—friends, family, and yes… even women I hadn’t yet met. Those mysteriously dropped conversations made a lot more sense. Once the shock wore off, I found the whole thing hilarious. There I was—trying to be lighthearted and playful—completely unaware of how my messages might be landing. I still laugh about it.
This year, my friend Mackenzie—who knows this whole story—gifted me an eggplant Christmas ornament. It now hangs proudly on my tree—a reminder that miscommunication happens, often in unexpected ways.
So here’s a gentle reminder: Be kind. Be generous in your assumptions. Give people some grace. If someone’s words land strangely—or an emoji feels confusing—maybe pause before jumping to conclusions. There may be a well-meaning, playful human on the other side.
(And if you ever received a 🍆 from me, it was purely nonsensical. Sorry about that. 😊)
