You Can Finally Make New Bitmojis That Look More Realistic Than Ever

Does anyone else love their Bitmoji as much as I do? Seriously, she's so cute, so stylish, and always knows the right thing to say. I identify with her on a spiritual level... but, to be honest, not so much an a physical level. She looks kind of like me, but not really. I've had multiple people say "WTF" when I send them a Bitmoji because we look nothing alike (it's unclear who's prettier). But thankfully, things are about to change. Bitmoji Deluxe is now available with more options, and your mini-me is about to look just like you.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Snapchat introduced Bitmoji Deluxe, a new version of Bitmoji that will help us create cartoon personas that really look like us. According to Snapchat, "The Bitmoji Deluxe style makes it easier to create Bitmojis that more accurately reflect our community’s many diverse physical attributes, styling preferences and personalities." I don't know about you, but I can't wait to finally have the twin sister I've always wanted.

So how exactly will Bitmoji be improving our mini-me's? The team has spent years studying Bitmoji and Bitstrips in order to develop the updates, which will offer users much more options for customizing their Bitmoji, allowing them to express their true authentic selves.

As far as what's changed, the biggest differences will be in the options for your Bitmoji's core features, which have expanded. With Bitmoji Deluxe, you'll have even more hairstyles, hair colors, facial features, skin tones, and accessories to choose from. Now you won't have to settle for something that kind of looks like you; you'll be able to create a totally unique Bitmoji that feels more, well, "you."

The feature that Bitmoji most wanted to improve was hairstyles. The company notes that "the most common request from our community has been for new and improved hairstyle options." Dozens of additional hairstyles and coloring options are now available, including braids, twists, and locs.

Not only have the features expanded, but the way you create your Bitmoji has totally changed. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to actually figure out which features in the app are closest to yours? Even with a mirror or the selfie camera for reference, I always have trouble getting it just right. But now, your Bitmoji will actually be based on a selfie, which you can reference throughout the creation process. Additionally, the features and accessories that you add will be built into your Bitmoji as you go along, to help you make decisions and watch your Bitmoji come to life.

Bitmoji Deluxe will also eliminate gendered body types and accessories, including makeup. Users will no longer be asked to choose a specific gender (male or female). Instead, you will see an image of a feminine and masculine figures, and you'll have the option to select whichever you most identify with. Additionally, Bitmoji users who identify as masculine and feminine will be able to apply makeup to their design.

The company will continue to invest in Bitmoji Deluxe and bring new tools and designs to the community. Their goal is to make Bitmoji even more inclusive, customizable, localized, and on-trend, and allow our Bitmojis to evolve with the world around us.

Bitmoji Deluxe will be available on all of the usual platforms, including Snapchat, iMessage, and Google Gboard. If you make the switch to Deluxe and want to go back to Bitstrips or Bitmoji "Classic," no worries; you can simply navigate to the settings menu and select your preferred style to find your previously created Bitmoji.

This is the latest in a number of updates and expansions to the Bitmoji app. In September 2017, they introduced 3D Bitmoji World Lenses, to combine Bitmojis and the pre-existing AR features of various Snapchat filters. In June 2017, they added Actionmojis to Snap Map, so users could see what their friends were up to based on what their Bitmojis were doing, like listening to music or reading a book. In the last year, Bitmoji has really upped their game and become more representative of their users, and I can't wait to see everything that comes with Bitmoji Deluxe.

Check out the entire Gen Why series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.