So upset - Gingerism

[Ham69]

One of my 'friends' had had a couple of drinks the other night and started talking about her neighbours. She's very well educated and her husband is a carpenter and drives a white van. Nothing at all wrong with that and he earns a good honest living, but I get the impression she has a complex about it. She was talking to a very good friend of mine the other night and made a comment about her neighbours being a bit snooty and not talking to her because her husband has a white van. She went on to say that they have no right whatsoever to feel like this because they have ginger children. I can't get over how much this has affected me. Her son is in my son's class and regularly comes back for playdates. My DS (biased, obviously) is a very handsome, bright and sporty 6 year old who happens to have gorgeous 'ginger' hair.
Her statement confirms my fears that he will have this prejudice all his life and may well have a terrible time at school. If intelligent parents can speak like this, what chance do their children have? They will pick up on this and think 'gingers' deserve to be singled out, bullied, etc. It makes me feel so sick and worried for my lovely innocent DS.
Sorry for rant, needed to get it off my chest.

I can't agree that it is an anti-Irish thing, I grew up in Ireland with red hair and it was just as bad there.

I agree it is also about skin tone/pale eyebrows and lashes etc, not just hair colour.

I love red hair because it stands out, most people have brown/blonde or anything inbetween, red hair will turn heads.

3 of my DC are blondey/brown, DD3 started off blonde but in the past year she has turned into a red head probably more strawberry blonde, she's very pale too, her eyebrows and eyelashes are still blonde and she's starting to get freckles, I love the way the sun catches her hair, she is beautiful (as are my other DC)

I genuinely do love red hair, also love dark shiny locks or blonde curls

I'm ginger (although quite dark red so I have visible eyebrows and lashes), and my sister is too, and as we have dark haired parents and grandparents inevitably a fuss was made over us as kids. I never experienced any bullying, and I loved the fact that people frequently commented favourably on my hair.
As a teenager it was the only aspect of my appearance that I felt truly happy with, as I had been told so often throughout my life how lovely it was, often by complete strangers, not just my parents keeping me happy. So please don't underestimate the value of the gushing!
(My dd is ginger too, so I hope I am providing a positive role model, and she hasn't experienced any bullying to date).

I read this yesterday and as a result decided to have a look at the Internet. What I assumed was a fairly silly and unkind teasing turns out to be a campaign of sick and horrible vile stuff. Yet another thing I have learned from MN. I would confront her and if she doesn't think it is a problem, ask her to google ginger, maybe she will realise that she is as bad as any other ignorant bigot.

Like it is a criminal offence to mock because of skin color, and yes rightly so. It should too me an offence to mock about hair color. xxx

Sorry be should have said "Be". xx

I'm ginger and my daughter is ginger. You're children WILL be teased over their hair colour - I can absolutely guarantee it. The thing is though that we are all unique. Their will always be something that marks us out as being "different" and that will be the thing that will be picked up on. My son is not ginger but he gets teased for being a "geek" (which he absolutely is). I've taught my children to embrace the things that make them unique. That way they can't be hurt by names referencing their "individualality.

My children's friends all get teased over various things - being posh, being a Chav, wearing a turban, being fat, being thin, having freckles/spots, being clever (swot/geek), not being clever, being rich, being poor. Whatever. Unfortunately, that's what children are like. It was the same when I was at school.

Most people mature and stop behaving like a twat. You should pity your friend really.

Just to add - I've never been teased over my hair colour as an adult. I've actually had strangers coming up to me in the street to compliment my hair colour. Plus (and this may or may not be true) I've been told by a hairdresser that us gingers retain our hair colour longer than any other hair colour. So it's all good!