The Brief: The pleading face emoji 🥺has a variety of meanings and associations including that it's the "shy" or "simp" emoji.

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Pleading Face

Officially called the “pleading face” or “face with pleading eyes” emoji, this emoji is also known to represent “begging” or “glossy eyes.”

But I’m Shy 🥺👉👈

The two fingers touching “but I’m shy” memes typically include this emoji to represent someone who is particularly timid. The pleading emoji and the two fingers pointing towards each other emoji have become shorthand for shyness.

Simp

While some suggest that a true simp or simping emoji would be of a person kneeling, this emoji is sometimes also associated with simp behavior because of its submissive appearance.

Other Uses

This emoji is also associated with someone who is acting cutsey or coy. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community have suggested that 🥺 is a “bottom” emoji.

If you type “please sir” in an iOS keyboard, it suggests the 🥺 emoji. The same goes for “pleading” or “pretty please” but not “please mam” or just “please.”

Because of its many possible meanings and reliability, this emoji has become particularly popular.