Real meaning behind 'eggplant emoji' traced back to dark and twisted 15-month reality show

The real meaning behind the ‘eggplant emoji’ can be traced back to a dark and twisted 15-month reality show.

It’s universally known what the eggplant means when sent in a text but did you know how the emoji came to be a sex reference?

If not, you wouldn’t be alone - but there’s a little-known origin story for how the purple vegetable turned into a sexual symbol.

Nasubi was kept naked in a room for 15 months (YouTube/@hulu)

It all started when a Japanese reality show broadcast a naked man who was kept in a room for 15 months.

Yep, that’s right. Tomoaki Hamatsu had no idea he was being broadcasted to millions when he took part in the challenge, which involved him entering magazine competitions to win food.

Because of his long face, which was 30-cm in length, the contestant gained the nickname Nasubi - which translates from Japanese to mean eggplant.

Because of this nickname, Nasubi’s private parts were hidden behind a cartoon eggplant during the show and it’s thought that this is how the eggplant took on a whole new meaning.

The show was aired to millions of people in Japan in 1998, and the star of the program has since lifted the lid on what that experience was like.

Taking to Reddit, Nasubi wrote: “In the late 90s I lived inside a small room for 15 months, naked, starving and alone, surviving solely off of magazine contest prize winnings ... all while my life was broadcast to over 15 million viewers a week without my consent.”

Nasubi was filmed without his knowledge (YouTube/@hulu)

He went on to say: “You may be familiar with my story, which has been shared over the years on Reddit. In 1998 in Japan, I won an audition to take part in a challenge. I was led into a room, ordered to strip naked, and left with a stack of magazines and postcards. My task was to enter contests in order to win food, clothing and prizes to survive, until I reached the prize goal of 1 million yen.

“This lasted 15 months, all while 15 million people watched me - without my consent.”

Nasubi was shocked to be met with a live studio audience after completing his challenge in 15 months, which many online have likened to The Truman Show.

When asked if he had been kept against his will, Nasubi replied: “I didn't think that the competition would last that long. The door wasn't locked, but I was determined to stay with it until the end. You could say it was Yamato Spirit, or Japanese spirit, I would not quit.”

Nasubi recently appeared in a Hulu documentary called The Contestant about the TV show.