 NPR says. Continuing, in 2015, five skin tone options became available for hand gesture emojis in addition to the default Simpsons-like yellow. Choosing one can be a simple texting shortcut for some, but for others it opens a complex conversation about race and identity. Quote, I use the brown one that matches me, said Sarai Cole, an opera singer in Germany. I have some friends who use the brown ones too, but they're not brown themselves. This confuses me.