More than 28,000 people have signed a petition demanding that WhatsApp and other messaging platforms add a pink ribbon emoji, a campaign launched by the Argentine venture Sirenas con Turbante and known as #SumaElLazoRosa, MDZ reported. The petition, hosted on Change.org, is active in seven countries — Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the United States, Spain, Italy and France — and aims to keep breast cancer awareness visible beyond October, the month when campaigns intensify around World Breast Cancer Day on October 19, Perfil noted.
The campaign is driven by a gap its organizers say they hit every day: the pink ribbon appears on T-shirts, buildings and events worldwide, but there is no pink version in digital keyboards. The existing Unicode ribbon emoji, approved more than a decade ago, is rendered in yellow by most platforms, so the campaign asks for a distinct pink ribbon emoji alongside it.
One in Eight Women, but Only Four in Ten Informed
According to data released by the Argentine Association of Clinical Oncology (AAOC), one in every eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, but when the disease is detected early, the chances of cure exceed 90%. Against that, a 2025 study by Fundación Instituto Natura — presented with Avon, Para Ti reported — found that only four in every ten women in Argentina have enough information to care for their breast health.
The Índice de Concientización de Cáncer de Mama en Argentina 2025 also found that six in every ten women identify a lump as the main warning sign, even though breast cancer can be asymptomatic in its early stages, Perfil reported.
That information gap is part of what the campaign wants an emoji to address. “It’s a constant reminder of early detection, a tool for sharing love and support, and a symbolic gesture toward those going through this disease. A digital gesture for a real cause,” the campaign team said in its statement.
Who Is Behind Sirenas con Turbante
The venture was founded by Daniela, Eugenia and Juana Ojeda — aunts and niece — after Daniela went through breast cancer treatment, lost her hair and began designing turbans to preserve her identity. That personal need became a family business that accompanies people through cancer treatments and alopecia with style and functionality. Juana, the venture’s community manager, described the contradiction that sparked the campaign: the pink ribbon is everywhere in the physical world, but missing from the place where people talk most.
“I lost my hair, but I was not willing to lose my identity,” Daniela recalled. “We started designing turbans for me and then turned that need into a project that today accompanies people with style and functionality.”
Supporting organizations include Fundación Instituto Natura, MACMA, CIMA, CEMA, WikiCancer, Rosas del Plata and Flechas Rosas.
April 2027: The Unicode Deadline
If the companies do not add the symbol on their own, the campaign plans to formally submit the proposal to the Unicode Consortium in April 2027, the next annual window for emoji proposals, MDZ reported. Unicode does not approve emojis on the relevance of a cause alone, campaign organizers noted, but also weighs evidence that people already use and demand them — which is why the signatures serve a double purpose, pressuring platforms now and backing the formal bid later.
If a proposal is rejected, it cannot be resubmitted for four years. Unicode requires a technical evaluation, and signatures make the demand visible but do not guarantee approval of a new symbol, the organizers noted.
How Pink Ribbon Emoji Gains Traction
Why doesn’t the pink ribbon already have its own emoji?
A ribbon emoji has been approved by the Unicode Consortium for over a decade, but most platforms render it in yellow, and it also represents other causes. The campaign is not asking to replace it, but to add a pink variant that can be used in posts, messages and stories.
Where can the petition be signed?
The public petition is available on Change.org at www.change.org/SumaElLazoRosa, with separate petitions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the United States, Spain, Italy and France.
What happens if WhatsApp rejects the request?
The campaign has a defined roadmap: in April 2027 the proposal goes formally to the Unicode Consortium.
The campaign’s core argument is that symbols shape what stays in daily conversation — and right now, the most recognized symbol of breast cancer awareness has no place in the keyboards where that conversation actually happens.
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