What do we think of ‘gingerism’?

I detest the word ginger as I've only ever heard it as an insult.
People don't have to like the colouring but need to understand that it is wholly unacceptable to denigrate it.
It's not the same as racism, but the othering whether for good or bad, the insulting and then the fetishising is still appalling.

Well DD was born ginger, unsurprisingly as I've an Irish / Scottish ancestry although dark brown hair myself. I was concerned and hoped it would change and probably made similar comments - not because I didn't like it but because I thought she'd get bullied. In her tot years she got nothing but praise and compliments, she's had a bit of agro at secondary school but not as much as I'd expect and she still has the most beautiful Titian hair, firey red and gold in bright light and more browny in dimmer light.

I don't understand it at all.

I think red hair is beautiful.

I agree with this.

I was working somewhere and a red headed colleague said his wife was expecting a baby. Another colleague heard and verbally vomited the most vile and disgusting things. It was utterly shocking.

I'm ginger and I had multiple people say things along the lines of "oh let's hope the baby gets dad's blonde hair" when I was pregnant with DD. And "aren't you glad she's blonde and non ginger?" After she was born as if I wasn't sat right there, a ginger.

It's mad how casually rude people are about gingers. I love my red hair and wouldn't change it for the world, but people can be so weird about it.

I don't think anyone expects everyone to like ginger hair bit they si expect people not to be utter dicks about it and not go on about something someone is born with in a negative and derogatory way which some people most definitely do.

No, you obviously didn't read what I said - 'its not ok to dislike the person just because they have a hair colour you don't like. What you seem to be saying/dictating is everybody MUST like ginger coloured hair.

Tim Minchin says it best....

No.

It's a little bit similar to how it's seen as fair game to take the piss out of someone for being extremely pale.
I do not have red hair myself, but have a fair bit of Irish and Scottish ancestry, and my paternal grandmother who was a redhead. I've inherited the translucent skin aspect, but not the red hair (my hair is more of a very dark blonde).
The amount of people who tell me I look sick, etc is ridiculous. This is my fucking skin, I cannot tan, and my only reaction to the sun is turning into a lobster.

You think my 3yo dgd should dye her hair????

Well, redheads usually have distinctive skin. Colour, i.e., pale with freckles as well . I have red hair well, should say it's as it's white now . I always liked it and wasn't bullied for it - probably more bullied for having freckles. But I have got into spats loads of times on Twitter and X with people who are nasty and dismissive about the bullying nowadays . More thinking of my DSs and DGC than myself for my generation it wasnt such an issue . I think South park had alot todo with it !. If you mention that it can be a bullying problem you get loads of abuse saying it isn't a race etc . Hopefully that's past now and the current generation seem to have an easier time reading what PPs have said again - like I did .

Speaking as a redhead, I still remember some comments from being bullied over hair colour as a kid.

I love my auburn hair now and regret all the years dyeing it out of shame. It's striking and my partner loves it too

On the bus the other day this woman in her 30s was mouthing off about not wanting ginger hair. I actually felt that same stab from when I was a kid - it's really pathetic and nasty.

@waltzingparrot eh??? Is something not an ism if you can change it???? So people should be dying their children's hair to avoid being targeted?!
What about religion? If I'm a Muslim I can avoid Islamaphobia by converting to another religion???
What a very strange argument.

So you think it's OK to be rude or even violent to someone whose hair colour you dislike and that they should just dye it if they're not OK with being someone's punchbag?

We can't change our skin colour though can we?, You're conflating different issues. I've never dyed my hair plum, ginger, or black because I personally don't like those hair colours either. These are choices I can make, as can you. We don't all have to like all hair colours. I'm not offended that someone might not like my hair colour. You don't have to make an ism out of it.

Awful prejudice, with roots in anti-Irish and anti-Scottish racism. Should always be challenged IMO.

Grew up violently bullied due to my hair colour. I still do not understand why it's seen as fair game when we don't choose it any more than we choose our skin colour, eye colour, ethnicity, culture etc. I genuinely don't get it. And the people using it as an insult or disappointed by it quite frankly need to consider whether they'd be so quick to comment on anyone's skin tone, accent, eye shape etc because it really is in the same wheelhouse.

Not only Irish immigrants, also native Scots. My dgd has the most glorious red hair, I hope she keeps it as she grows

Surely its another form of racism, depending on what has been said?

Red hair doesn't seem to be very popular though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15001467

@sweetkitty You beat me to it withe pregnancy story!

It's a form of bullying which some juvenile idiots seem to think is still acceptable. Nasty and pathetic.
Also, what is 'ginger hair'? Red hair comes in loads of different shades, just like brown hair or fair hair.

It stems from xenophobia towards Irish immigrants and it need to Stop!

I had an acquaintance/colleague inform me that she didn't mind if her baby was a boy or a girl...as long as it wasn't ginger!
I have red hair!
While I totally embrace it now,as a kid it's just an easy option to bully kids about. I dontget the hatred - it's unique and special to have ginger hair! Think it harks back to days of old when it was associated with witches - a few 100+ years later and people haven't moved on!

Personally I love ginger hair, it’s different, unique, a reminder of our Celtic heritage but having two children one with beautiful auburn licks and one strawberry blonde I know first hand how it can be seen as a negative.

Ginger bitch
Ginger pubes
Put ginger in front of anything and it becomes an insult and yes I’ve heard pregnant women say “as long as it doesn’t come out ginger”