Love-You Gesture 🤟

This gesture reuses the combination of the letters I, L, and Y in American Sign Language, together forming the message "I Love You." In messaging, 🤟 is used to express sincere affection toward a loved one, a friend, or a partner, but also more broadly to signal support or admiration toward someone you follow or appreciate from afar, such as an artist or a content creator.

It's frequently found at concerts or live events, raised by the audience as a sign of connection and enthusiasm toward the artists on stage, in a collective use that goes well beyond the intimate circle to become a shared celebration gesture.

It also works very well as an affectionate closing formula at the end of a message, a bit like a heart you'd add as a tender goodbye without needing to write out the full words.

🤟 was added to the emoji keyboard to give digital recognition to an American Sign Language gesture already widely adopted outside the deaf community, notably at concerts and in popular culture, where it had become a generic sign of affection and enthusiasm well before its arrival on keyboards.

🤟 is used to warmly thank someone ("thanks for your support 🤟"), to end a message on an affectionate note ("take care, see you soon 🤟"), or to show enthusiasm for an artist during a concert. It remains suited to personal and friendly exchanges, but is not very appropriate in a professional setting where it could seem too intimate.