to be rather hurt by the anti-ginger sentiment in my office

[SarfEasticated]

One of our departmental secretaries has just found out she is having a boy, and in the process of her coming round to tell everyone said that her partner had said 'if he's a ginger he's going back in'. Then quite a few of my colleagues who I have always liked, waded in with comments of agreement and general revulsion at the very idea of a red-headed child.
Made me feel awful as I do have red-hair, and any of my future children could have it too. So basically they all think I and other red-headed people are freaks that should never have been born. :(

Fabby many people, including your niece, don't like their own hair colour - how else would Clairol make their money? What has this got to do with the price of bread?

I meant were you joking it was your greatest fear?

ever thought why your niece dyes her hair, Fabby?

because of ignorant twats making her feel bad that she has red hair.

WWIW just about every teenager dyes their hair - current vogue colour locally is whatI call East European Aubergine!

proud mother of 2 beautiful red-headed girls here, aged 15 and 12. but I am sad to say that the anti-ginger culture is still alive and kicking everywhere... both mine have developed a nice line in put-downs to those 'funny' kids at school who say things like "ooh look your hair's on fire" and other witticisms.

They usually respond along the lines of "oh you're so witty, I've NEVER heard that one before" and other things implying the joker has the wit, imagination and erudition of a long-dead slug.

I think they did use to get a bit peeved/upset by it now, but now they both just let it wash over them and secretly, or actually not so secretly, think a great deal less of the person who made the gingerist comment. You go girls!!

I've got red hair and grew up in the middle east, where I was one of 2 redheads in a school of 1000!! They took the piss a bit but I didn't really care - my mum always told me people would pay to have my colour hair and that made it better. My sister also has red hair and I've always liked how people say 'yes, that's obvious' when I tell them we're sisters.

I have recently had a DS and everybody says he's a ginger version of his daddy AND gorgeous - I am very proud of my contribution to his genes!!

Ignore the haters, they are jealous :)

I thought red-hair originated around the Alps and it's not really a Celtic thing at all.

I agree with LyingWitch though - I do hate all this "it's the most beautiful hair colour in the world" stuff. It's just another hair colour - some people like, some don't. You just don't need to be nasty about it.

Just because I say things people don't like does not make me a village idiot, I hold down a responsible job thanks, and am undertaking a degree Im not an idiot.

My uncle had ginger hair he used to sing ginger songs to my sister to wind her up. Bear in mind this was some 40 odd years ago.

'when I was carrying my children the biggest fear was they would be ginger!'

Fabby, is it possible that you're telling us the family were concerned over your kids being ginger, not you yourself? You've already mentioned that your sis and grandad are anti-ginger but not sure you have stated a personal preference...

At the risk of being flamed (ho ho ho) I can understand what dabby is saying. I have red hair. When my daughter was born I hoped she wouldn't have red hair just because I thought her life would be easier blond like her dad.

And is the red hair gene a 'Celtic gene' ? as is widely supposed? (Not really, but it is safe to say that ? a few rare exceptions aside - all red heads are MC1R variants that derive from European populations; the prevalence of these alleles is highest in Celtic countries.)
genome.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_WTD020874.html

When I had ds by cs I hadn't seen him and one commented 'at least he's not ginger'. She was a redhead herself

All my uncles and most of my cousins fall along the ginger-red-auburn sphere. I think it's a gorgeous colour.

I had kids 25 years ago, and it was a fear then because of the stick my sister got though out her child hood, she was orange ginger.

Fabby! Stupid phone! And blonde!!

but Fabby don't you get the point most expectant Mum's greatest fear would be a severe disability or stillbirth, while you voiced something rather more trivial? Is that not a little bit of idiocy?

Incidentally I'm also doing a degree and some of the students on my course are definitely idiots. I'm sure you are not an idiot in every way though. I will concede that. :)

Snowbeetle... I think kids will find something, ANYTHING, to pick on in a classmate... too thin, too fat, too tall/short, pongy, curly... the list goes on.

I remember a few ginger-haired children in class who were referred to as 'Duracell'. I think back now how the mothers of those children must have railed at the insensitivity of the marketing team who came up with the strapline of 'copper coloured top'.

Personally, I think some shades of red are lovely and some not so much but the cheeky grin and 'joy of life' of a child trumps whatever physical attribute they may have anyway.

I think Fabby's posts are very often cries for attention - good or bad.

Well you don't seem to give a toss about offending people. I'm left literally speechless at times when I read the comments you post. It's as though you enjoy being as offensive as possible. There's rude and then there's Fabby rude.

And I have seem a few supportive posts from you,so I'm beginning to think that you enjoy the attention,because you certainly don't have to make such offensive remarks.

Then that makes more sense Fabby - you feared for the teasing your child might get by ignorant twats.

It just looked like you were coming onto a thread where someone was clearly upset by 'gingerist' comments and went ahead making gingerist comments yourself.

Fabby Chic, the more you post the more idiotic you seem.

Your initial post was ridiculous. The posts that followed were completely irrelevant. Who cares that your niece dyes her hair or you uncle sang songs about ginger hair??? Really, really was your biggest fear when you were pregnant that you would have a ginger child???

Well I can understand worrying about the prejudice that may result,but it's a bit much to say that it was your biggest fear.

My DP is ginger, his hair is dark but his beard gives away his ginger roots his sister has lovely red hair and I'm hoping our baby has red hair. I'm dark haired tho so more likely that baby will be dark haired.

I'm South African and hadn't really encountered the anti-ginger thing until I came to the UK. I still can't believe some of the comments I've had from work colleagues on the subject -one claimed ginger hair made her feel physically sick . It's not socially acceptable to be racist or sexist so I have no idea why gingerist is seen to be okay.

ooh, thanks for the genetics link troisgarcons - I like a bit of science in the morning :)

ditto Cerys74 - though for a split second I did wonder how Jonathon Ross had got so knowledgeable on the subject.

My nephew had the classic ginger hair, freckles, blue eyes appearance and started having his hair highlighted at about 10 as sadly, yes, he was teased and bullied for it.

He stopped dying it at about 18 - and then started growing it, at 22 he now has the most stunning unruly mop of wavy ginger hair and he's truly gorgeous no I am NOT biased, he IS

I know others havr already said it but I love red hair. Tis gorgeous.