The Facebook Sunglasses Emoji: An Enduring Emoji Classic

A yellow face with a broad, closed grin wearing a pair of sunglasses is commonly known as the sunglasses emoji on Facebook and is instantly recognizable. It’s also known as the ‘cool’ or simply ‘sunglasses’ emoji. Typically, the Facebook sunglasses emoji is used in connection with someone or something that’s cool, easy-going, or relaxed. It can stand for approval or be a stand-in for a sentiment such as ‘awesome!’ 

This emoji can also be deployed simply in connection with a sunny or warm day and is used alongside the hashtag for National Sunglasses Day, which is held annually on June 27th.

Sometimes, it can be used to convey – subtly – a bit of a snarky tone – but this very much depends on context. If someone uses the Facebook sunglasses emoji as a reaction to your post or comment, it’s generally a very positive thing!

Facebook Sunglasses Emoji: Origin Story

The face with sunglasses emoji was one of the original Facebook emojis, launched in 2010, and has now spread across multiple platforms and has become part of accepted social media parlance. The styling of this emoji has been pretty consistent over the years: a standard smiling yellow emoji face wearing a pair of black Wayfarer-style shades.

Why Wayfarers? Well, Ray-Ban Wayfarers are a classic, timeless design, meaning the emoji is not in danger of going out of date stylistically. Plus, they’re the epitome of cool, having been worn by superstar actors, musicians, and other notables for decades. Current fans of the model include Brad Pitt, Jude Law, Taylor Swift, Mark Ruffalo, Natalie Portman, and many more.

What Does the Sunglasses Emoji Mean on Snapchat?

Since 2015, the face with sunglasses emoji has appeared on Snapchat, next to a contact that a user shares a friend with. Other emojis have different meanings on the platform; for example, the yellow heart emoji signifies you are best friends with someone (i.e., the pair of you exchange the most snaps), while the red heart emoji crops up when you’ve been best friends with that person for two weeks. If you stay best friends for two months, the red heart will change to pink.

Examples of How the Facebook Sunglasses Emoji is Used

You’re likely to see this emoji alongside posts of people wearing an outfit they’re particularly happy about, for example, or to show approval of a person, place, another post, etc. It can point to feeling confident and ready to take on the world. It’s often used in conjunction with the backhand index finger pointing left emoji (as in – ‘this guy is cool’) or with the thumbs-up emoji. And, of course, it’s regularly used alongside snaps of people soaking up warm weather, enjoying a vacation, or simply relaxing in the sunshine.

Classic Combos

There are many well-known combinations of emojis that can be used to create fun wordless messages. Like these:

  • Sunglasses emoji with stars emoji – Feeling great
  • Upside down emoji with sunglasses emoji with yawning emoji – Tired of partying
  • Arm flexing muscle emoji and sunglasses emoji – Tough guy
  • Blank face emoji with sunglasses emoji – Unperturbed
  • Man in suit emoji with sunglasses emoji – James Bond

These are just a few of the near-endless possible sunglasses emoji combinations out there!

Different Platforms, Different Emojis

While broadly the same, there are some differences between the Facebook sunglasses emoji and its equivalent on other platforms. For example, on Mozilla, the yellow emoji has little ears and wears a pair of shades with a blue-colored browline, while on LG, the sunglasses frames are slightly larger, and the emoji sports a half-smile.

What About the Plain Sunglasses Emoji?

As well as the sunglasses emoji that incorporates the yellow smiley face, there’s also an emoji featuring just a pair of shades. This emoji appeared in 2015 and is generally used to denote the same reaction or sentiments as the Facebook smiling face with sunglasses emoji. It looks fairly different on various platforms, however: for example, on Microsoft, the shades have rounder, blue-colored frames, while on OpenMoji, the frames and lenses are completely circular. Head to Moto Emoji Font, and you’ll find white-framed shades, and on Twitter Emoji Stickers, you’ll discover the shades seen from a side-on view.

What is the Most Used Emoji on Facebook?

As well as the sunglasses emoji, the most commonly-used emojis on Facebook currently include the smiling face emoji with open mouth and smiling eyes, the loudly crying face emoji, the winking face emoji, the smiling face with heart-shaped eyes emoji, and the face with tears of joy emoji. 

On both Instagram and Twitter, the smiling face with sunglasses emoji is regularly ranked, too, among the most frequently used. 

Facebook Sunglasses Emoji: Final Reaction

The Facebook sunglasses emoji was one of the originals to be unveiled on the platform and has now spread across multiple platforms and devices and entered the common emoji language. We all know what it means when we see the happy face with the Wayfarer-style shades – and whether it’s in relation to a perfect summer’s day, a relaxed vibe, or an outfit we know we look great in, it’s a welcome sight.

About Carson Derrow

My name is Carson Derrow I'm an entrepreneur, professional blogger, and marketer from Arkansas. I've been writing for startups and small businesses since 2012. I share the latest business news, tools, resources, and marketing tips to help startups and small businesses to grow their business.