Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3

AIBU?

To complain to Tesco about this advert?

68 replies

Pacific · 23/04/2011 13:20

I have ranted about this topic before, see www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/975424-Why-is-39-gingerism-39-an-acceptable-form-of-prejudiceThisThreadso when I went to Tesco this morning and saw a big advert for a ginger flavoured drink with the slogan 'Ginger, always the best man - never the bridegroom', I saw red.

Anyway, I started ranting as soon as I saw it and gathered quite a crowd all agreeing with me while I was trying to persuade teenage DD to take a photo of the offending advert (can't work my own camera phone [bublush] ). At this point, red-haired DD rolled her eyes and said 'Mum, you are sooooo embarrassing' and cleared off to look at the toiletries. [bugrin]

Now I know it is supposed to be funny, and I know it is a reference to Prince Harry but AIBU?

PS the tesco manager just looked at me as if I was a nutter and more or less said 'calm down dear' [bugrin]

OP posts:

Thanks

Share

Report

ilovemyhens · 23/04/2011 19:06

my ds2 has red hair and dh takes him to karate lessons just to increase his confidence and make sure he can defend himself because of the bullying that he'll no doubt have to tolerate as he gets older People think it's funny to take the fun out of redheads, but it's not, it's really annoying.

ds2 has brown eyes and dark eyelashes, so I'm hoping he'll darken up over time

Thanks

princessparty · 23/04/2011 19:45

'Nope sorry princessparty. It's not something to chillax about when you have seen your little boy being made fun of for the colour '

Katisha - do you think the world revolves round you -i was surprise surprise addressing the OP not you

Thanks

CheerfulYank · 23/04/2011 19:52

People over there make fun of people just because they have red hair?

Really?!

DS looked like he was going to have red hair when he was born...I was disappointed when he turned out blondie. (Now of course I can't imagine it any other way :) ) I love red hair and have always wanted it. I hope one of my future DCs has it.

Thanks

PeachyPossum · 23/04/2011 20:01

Its not just a few jokes or 'making fun of' when it comes to ginger hair. It is bullying, being ostracized, spat on, and on and on. It is not the same thing as the blonde joke thing, I think its a tad telling of people if they don't take a few minutes to think about and process the difference.. I am so glad my wee ones are blonde (loved and adored are blondes) and not ginger.

Yanbu.

Thanks

PeachyPossum · 23/04/2011 20:03

Infact, as a grown women I recently had stones thrown at me as I walked to the village shop by a lad in his early twenties and his girlfriend. Its not lighthearted fucking banter.

Thanks

Loshad · 23/04/2011 20:04

peachy - i'm 46 - still very ginger and have never been spat on or ostracised - for my redness, or anything else. It does not follow that because you have ginger hair that you are in for a life of hell - far from it.

Thanks

CheerfulYank · 23/04/2011 20:09

Peachy seriously ?!

The "hottest guy" in our school was a redhead...all the girls thought he was the business. (He was.)

Thanks

PeachyPossum · 23/04/2011 20:20

It's not set in stone, but it happens. Your experience is different from mine, but mine is just as real and perhaps explains why some people are so chilled about it but others aren't.

I love my hair, so do others, but I have had some fairly horrific bullying because of it. Some people are just twats though! I'm glad my kids wont ever experience it.

Thanks

PeachyPossum · 23/04/2011 20:22

Loshad, I'm a generation or so younger, I wonder if this is one of those things that has changed over time, or even a geographical thing?

Thanks

PeachyPossum · 23/04/2011 20:25

Just to add, I'm fairly certain there was no other reason I had stones thrown at me, nor am I such an offensive person I got spat at as a teenager, but the verbal insults included cleared up any confusion. I'm glad you haven't experienced it, but I'm a fairly nice person who certainly didn't invite it in any other way.

Thanks

surprise · 23/04/2011 20:29

Get a grip. And a sense of humour. YADBU.

Thanks

flamegirl77 · 23/04/2011 21:27

YANBU. Some people with red hair get really nasty abuse. Maybe they always will, but responsible retailers shouldn't feed it.

Thanks

Pacific · 23/04/2011 21:38

I am not a red head, (common as muck brown,me) but both my teenagers are red-heads. DS's hair has gone darker and is more a dark sandy colour now. The bullying has more or less stopped now but when they were younger and not so confident we had several nasty incidents.

It seems that to be ginger is as bad as being fat. (sad)

Anyway, Thank you for the support, those who say IANBU and thank you for posting on my thread those who have said IABU.

Going to bed now......working tomorrow....Easter Sunday....sob!

OP posts:

Thanks

Katisha · 23/04/2011 21:40

Ooh princessparty - rather missing the point aren't we?

Thanks

RevoltingPeasant · 23/04/2011 21:51

Cheerful yes, it is weird, isn't it?

I grew up in the States and when I moved over here and heard a comment about not liking 'gingers' I thought the person was joking at first....

Turned out not . Where I grew up it was called 'strawberry blonde' and was considered really attractive.

You know what I find really odd, though? Possibly the most common hair colour that women of, say, 25+ get done is red. Britain does seem to have a really odd relationship with this colour....

Thanks

tralalala · 23/04/2011 21:55

yanbu - unless you#ve experienced the full extent of gingerism you have no clue how upsetting it can be

Thanks

CheerfulYank · 23/04/2011 21:57

Yes revoltingpeasant I do find it odd. I would love red hair. I've tried to dye it but it just doesn't look the same as it would naturally. Sigh...

Thanks

CheerfulYank · 23/04/2011 21:58

Pacific that is so odd... I work with second graders and two of the kids in the class I'm in are redheads. No one has ever said anything, except a few kids have asked if they're related. :) The little girl especially has gorgeous hair...bright red with lovely waves.

Thanks

Flip

1 2 3

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.