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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not understand why people are so negative about red hair

223 replies

memoo · 04/09/2010 19:32

As my DD's hair grows it looks like she is going to be a red head.

She is only 11 months old and already we have had quite a few negative comments the latest being "at least she will be able to dye it when she gets older"

I just don't get it! why is having red hair looked upon as a bad thing? its just a hair colour FFS. And why do so many people think its ok to make jokes about redheads?

If a person makes an derogatory comment about a persons skin colour there is uproar but red heads seem to just be fair game

OP posts:
scottishmummy · 05/09/2010 00:05

love redhair.striking and gorgeous

DreamTeamGirl · 05/09/2010 00:10

My DS isnt ginger or red head he is truly and properly orange haired (trying to get a photo on profile now)

I was Shock when I had to overhear a FOUR year old who said 'yeah well your GINGER' as tho it was an insult to him. Credit to DS, he corrected him with 'its not ginger its ORANGE, dont you know your colours' before coming and sitting with me and not wanting to play anymore Sad

DreamTeamGirl · 05/09/2010 00:12

Cross post with ecolady
Orange is the only word for it isnt it?

PrettyFeckinVacant · 05/09/2010 00:12

I have always loved red hair - it is just so stunning. I have quite dark auburn hair but hoped that my dc would be red heads (My Dad was one of six and they were all either auburn or redheads).

Well I have 3 dc and the 2 dd's have red and auburn and we get nothing but positive comments - even when we have been in France. French people come up to us and want to touch their hair - weird but nice!!

(Little dd on profile with red ringlets - gorgeous!)

dustythedolphin · 05/09/2010 00:14

Dream am :( your LO has experienced negative comments so young. I was horribly bullied at age 5 'cos of being a "carrot head"

I have redhair and adore it on others (even on men [wink[)

overthehill · 05/09/2010 00:19

My dd (14) has beautiful thick, long wavy red hair and constantly says how she hates it and is going to have it all cut off; I keep telling her she can't. I think she'd rather have light brown hair and not stand out as she's quite shy really.

She gets teased a lot at school and called "Jinna!", which is pathetic, in my eyes. Adults constantly tell her how beautiful it is but she doesn't believe them.

My ds has just started at secondary school and has striking thick, long blond hair and is always being mistaken for a girl. He seems to like his hair more, which is a relief. It remains to be seen whether he will get teased for his hair too but I agree that it's pathetic. Hmmm.

DreamTeamGirl · 05/09/2010 00:21

She is LUSH vacant

dusty I am sorry to hear you suffered too
DS is already so low on self esteem, it really worries me ....

SkylineDrifter · 05/09/2010 00:22

Haven't read the whole thread but just wanted to assure the OP -

Red Hair Totally Rocks!!!!!

SlackSally · 05/09/2010 00:29

Well, yesterday I dyed my hair from its natural mid mousey brown to a vibrant coppery auburny colour. Out of choice. Red hair is great.

BitOfFun · 05/09/2010 00:29

DreamTeam- totally gorgeous!

dustythedolphin · 05/09/2010 00:30

Dream you could find him some red headed role models (scratches head and can only think of big cook, little cook) - how about that gorgeous girl in Dr Who - all boys like Dr Who!

We moved to Ireland friom the UK recently and its soooo refreshing to live somewhere where redheaded men are considered very handsome :)

BitOfFun · 05/09/2010 00:31

And PrettyVacant- WOW!

fuschiagroan · 05/09/2010 00:32

Do people (over the age of 6) really pick on people with red hair? I LOVE red hair, and the pale skin that goes with it. It is really gorgeous. I have a few guy friends who find red-heads totally hot.

dustythedolphin · 05/09/2010 00:32

Pretty your LOs are grogeous and am very Envy of your DD's lush ringlets

katieandisabelle · 05/09/2010 00:35

Oh god who ever posted about Jinna has just given me horris flasbacks lol

As A Kid I got picked on for it but I tried to make it better for myself by joining in and taking the mikey too.

IMO kids are bullied for ANYTHING nowadays.

My hair is now a deep dark red/brown. I love it this way too.

poshsinglemum · 05/09/2010 00:46

When I was a teen I died my hair red as a rebellion against all that ubiqutous blonde. (am now blonde/mouse but whatever about it.)

greenbananas · 05/09/2010 00:51

PrettyVacant, your daughter is utterly gorgeous and her hair is completely perfect. What fantastic ringlets!

I love ginger hair, and at the end of my street lives a stunningly pretty freckly-ginger girl who seems to have no confidence in her appearance whatsoever. She has been bullied a lot and is generally known round here as "Ginge". She only ever wears tracksuits and trainers, she walks with a teenaged boy sort of swagger, and scrapes her lovely hair back into a horribly unbecoming tight ponytail. I told her once that she was really, really pretty, and she blushed to the roots (like only a ginger girl can!) but it doesn't seem to have affected her confidence (except that now she always smiles now when she sees me)

If only ginger people could believe that Ginger is beautiful..

BitOfFun · 05/09/2010 00:53
BitOfFun · 05/09/2010 00:58

Actually, that's silly of me. But I do take ridiculous pleasure from people admiring dd2. She is so fucking hard to look after, but so incredibly beautiful- in a way it is an accident of nature to divinely protect her from people's wrath. She dodges so many bullets for just being damn cute.

mathanxiety · 05/09/2010 01:14

In the US, being Irish or having Irish heritage is considered a positive thing. I agree it's an anti-Celtic thing in Britain.

Alieight · 05/09/2010 01:50

I do find it really weird how red hair = bad in this country. I'm half Portuguese and grew up in South America, and red hair there is very much a good thing and is seen as lucky/unusual/special.

DS has very red hair, I find some of the comments I've had from people in the UK about DS's hair very odd. Mind you, on a recent visit to Portugal my cousin said she wanted to keep him. We did point out she could make one of her own and she replied "But he wouldn't have red hair!" :( Grin

jabberwocky · 05/09/2010 02:04

Found this article. Really sad and shocking that people can be so stupid and cruel.

epicfail · 05/09/2010 04:11

In Australia redheads are often called "Rangas".

Pronounced Rang ah. Short for orangutang.

I have heard it used as an insult, but far, far more often as a term of endearment. I think as a nation we are a bit odd like that, 'wog' is often used as an affectionate term here too.

I love red hair. My dad had a mass of it as a youngster, and all three of us sisters were waiting to see who would get the prize - the red headed child - and none of us did, disappointingly! I am particularly fond of that typically Irish red and curly look - just gorgeous.

epicfail · 05/09/2010 04:13

Oh, and we currently have a very red haired female Prime Minister!

KernowMother · 05/09/2010 05:05

FWIW: My MIL is hoping that my baby has red hair like she did ... my Dad is collecting hats ... in case the baby has red hair.

YANBU - Ignore them, it's ridiculous.