All about Redheads

[FrankieTDouglas]

So, I'm a photographer. I'm also a redhead. I've merged the two worlds together before in a fictional photography project that presented a world where redheads united to fight back against the world of everyone else, to finally retaliate against the bullying and jokes. I've went on to feature the project in artist talks that I give at schools and conferences.

That was a few years ago. I've decided now to return to the redhead idea for a new project. For the first time, I'm doing something that is closer to documentary rather than fictionalized drama. While I'm piecing all of the ideas together, I thought I'd bring the topic up as a thread.

What is your opinions on redheads? Have you ever given the topic much thought? Even if you're not a redhead, I'd love to hear your opinions. If you are a redhead, do you feel there's anything unique about your life experiences or etc?

 

[0098386]

What's the difference between a redhead and ginger? I always thought that Redheads were dyed red, whilst ginger was natural orange hair and freckles. In the UK it's the latter that gets ridiculed.

Sounds like a good idea for a project.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

Ginger is the term more frequently used in the UK (Europe in general, really), but it means the same thing as a redhead. Personally, I use the redhead term most frequently, but I feel they're interchangeable. I hear "redhead" more frequently here in the States.

Earlier this summer, I was sitting and eating in a sandwich shop in Ireland. A guy came in and started talking to the women behind the counter. I gathered he was a regular. He pulled out his cellphone and was showing them pictures. Apparently, his grandson had recently been born. The girls started raving about the full head of hair the child had. And then I heard the man's response:

"Dark hair, he is. I was dreading a ginger coming out, but we lucked out."

Even in Ireland, what I thought was the safe-haven for redheads, I was amazed to hear that type of thought going on.

 

[designs216]

I'd never heard heard the term ginger used in reference to red hair until I watched Puss-N-Boots the other night. He referred to himself as "The Ginger Assassin"

My friends with red hair don't seem to be treated differently because of it, perhaps because of our age. I have noticed women with red hair seem to get more attention from guys but not in a bad way.

 

[angelneo]

As a non-caucasian, I'm always puzzled as to why redheads are ridiculed. Is there some sort of history? or hidden joke? Personally, blondes, redhead, whatever color, all look similar to me.

 

[jeremy h]

I've never understood the prejudice some people seem to have towards red hair. Personally I think it can look pretty damn good - particularly when coupled with pale complexion etc.

I have sometimes wondered if there's some sort of old race memory going on. Perhaps some sort of unconscious tribal celt / saxon type thing from the dark ages? Also - going much further back there's recently been some debate about Neanderthals and red hair. There seems to be some hints that the red hair gene might have come from them.

 

[fat jez]

personally, a red-haired girl goes to the top of my list in terms of attractiveness, followed by auburn, then brunette and blonde at the bottom.

 

[samiwas]

personally, a red-haired girl goes to the top of my list in terms of attractiveness, followed by auburn, then brunette and blonde at the bottom.

Agreed. Redheads make me swoon.

 

[twietee]

I've never understood the prejudice some people seem to have towards red hair.

Maybe it's just because they're a minority. So they get bullied by that 'logic'. But I actually never witnessed that. Except the cliché of being super hot and that a lot of classical revolutionaries and lil' rascals in literature have red hair. Ah, and most of them witches had red hair when young I believe. So this goes even back to Medieval times.

 

[leekohler]

I love redheads. Nothing turns me on more that a hot redheaded guy.

 

[lewis82]

Redhead girls are the best. I love pale skin and for whatever reason red hair particularly attracts me.

As for gingers (guys), I don't really care.

 

[mrsir2009]

As a non-caucasian, I'm always puzzled as to why redheads are ridiculed. Is there some sort of history? or hidden joke? Personally, blondes, redhead, whatever color, all look similar to me.

Yeah, I really don't understand it either. I guess blondes do have the 'dumb blonde' thing, but for it to come up the blonde person in question actually needs to do something ditzy - But just being ginger is enough for people to bring it up over and over again... And hate the weird way they pronounce it in NZ, so it sounds more like ganger than ginger. This girl I know dyed her reddy/ginger hair back last year so people wouldn't call her 'ganger', which I reckon was a shame, since the reddy/ginger hair was rather hot

 

[Moyank24]

I have twin 5 year old redheads at home. So far, we've gotten nothing but positive responses wherever we've gone. And because they're twins - and redheads (and obviously very good looking ) they do get quite a bit of attention when we are out and about. Hopefully that trend continues - especially in school when they are older.

There seems to be a perception, also, that red heads tend to be a bit more tempermental - I get a lot of comments on that as well. It holds true for my daughter, but not for my son.

 

[boss.king]

What's the difference between a redhead and ginger? I always thought that Redheads were dyed red, whilst ginger was natural orange hair and freckles. In the UK it's the latter that gets ridiculed.

Sounds like a good idea for a project.

I read that first line andhoped it was going to turn into a joke

 

[puma1552]

Pasty/pale/nasty redhead with the typical wiry red hair? yuck.

Tan, healthy looking redhead bombshell with nice healthy red hair? Absolutely.

It's not the red hair that's nasty, it's the disgusting level of albino that comes with it on so many. A tan redhead is very nice to look at though IMO.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

personally, a red-haired girl goes to the top of my list in terms of attractiveness, followed by auburn, then brunette and blonde at the bottom.

Do you consider red hair and auburn hair different? I've always seen auburn hair lumped under the redhead family.

Pasty/pale/nasty redhead with the typical wiry red hair? yuck.

Tan, healthy looking redhead bombshell with nice healthy red hair? Absolutely.

It's not the red hair that's nasty, it's the disgusting level of albino that comes with it on so many. A tan redhead is very nice to look at though IMO.

Good luck finding a tan natural redhead. The pale skin sorta comes with the territory.

 

[fat jez]

Do you consider red hair and auburn hair different? I've always seen auburn hair lumped under the redhead family.

slightly. Auburn I'd say is heading more towards a reddish brown colour, almost chestnut in colour.

 

[chrono1081]

I'm a red head and never heard the term ginger until South Park. That being said I've never been ridiculed for it until I was about 19 and this lady I worked with said to me "I'm so glad my kids never had red hair since I'd hate for them to get made fun of".

I guess where I went to school no one cared what color hair you had.

I used to be freckly faced when I was younger but thankfully that went away when I got older.

 

[iJohnHenry]

The pale skin sorta comes with the territory.

Unfortunately for you Frankie, so does Cancer.

Are you familiar with this latest info?

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

Unfortunately for you Frankie, so does Cancer.

Are you familiar with this latest info?

Sadly, yes. I was reading about this a week or so ago. I actually have a whole stack of research regarding redheads. Here's a gem:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/denmark/8768598/Sperm-bank-turns-down-redheads.html

Ole Schou, Cryos's director, said that there had been a surge in donations in recent years, allowing the facility to become much more picky about its donors.

"There are too many redheads in relation to demand," he told told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. "I do not think you chose a redhead, unless the partner - for example, the sterile male - has red hair, or because the lone woman has a preference for redheads. And that's perhaps not so many, especially in the latter case."

Mr Schou said the only reliable demand for sperm from redheaded donors from Ireland, where he said it sold “like hot cakes”.

Cryos’s stores have now reached their peak capacity of 70 litres of semen, and Mr Schou has a waiting list of 600 donors.

He said sperm from donors with brown hair and brown eyes was particularly in demand, because of the bank’s large customer base in Spain, Italy and Greece.

 

[boss.king]

I have a redhead friend. I give her a lot of crap for it, lots of ginger jokes etc, but at the end of the day she knows it's all in good spirit. I think as long as it's done in jest there's no problem with it.

 

[leekohler]

I'm a red head and never heard the term ginger until South Park. That being said I've never been ridiculed for it until I was about 19 and this lady I worked with said to me "I'm so glad my kids never had red hair since I'd hate for them to get made fun of".

That's terrible. Redheads are the prettiest people on the planet.

I guess where I went to school no one cared what color hair you had.

I used to be freckly faced when I was younger but thankfully that went away when I got older.

Freckles are just fine too.

 

[iJohnHenry]

Freckles are just fine too.

With the right person, connect the dots is great fun.

 

[chrono1081]

Wait until I sunburn! You'd be playing connect the dots for hours and still not finish.

 

[Sheik Yiboudi]

personally, a red-haired girl goes to the top of my list in terms of attractiveness, followed by auburn, then brunette and blonde at the bottom.

Same here. Nothing is more attractive to me than a redheaded lady with freckles. I'm about 100% Irish in heritage, so maybe there's a genetic component to this.