"Ginger boys are just ugly"

[CrumpetHead]

Just wanted to rant

Had 32wk consultant appointment today, sat in tiny waiting room with about 15 other people all crammed in and there's two women sat opposite DP and I chatting to each other, conversation goes something like "have you ever thought that your baby could be ginger" "oh god no don't say that, I wouldn't mind so much if it was a girl but ginger boys are just ugly, yuk"

DP was sat next to me and could hear the whole thing, he is ginger and so is our 14 month old DS. How rude can you get?!
DP wears a cap constantly when he's out because he got teased in school about it.

What difference does it make what colour hair you have? It's just a colour the same as brown, blonde, black are colours! Thinking about it now it's really making my blood boil and if I could turn back time I wish I'd have said something to them instead of staying quiet because I didn't want to cause an argument.
Idiots

One of my first cousins is a classic 'carrot top' and he's gorgeous!

I would've leant over and said "at least you can dye red hair if you don't like it but there's not a lot you can do about your face"

I love my lil gingers as they are both gorge, I don't really think the Celt genes help in attributing racism tho.
The term gingerbashing is just plain ridiculous to me and should not be used by anyone ginger.
I don't think people are specifically racist towards gingers, clearly people are just having a laugh when making comments based on another group of peoples' appearance. It's all part of the fun in the playground! Witwoo!!!!!
I fully accept that the term racism has background and abuse towards gingerhaired people is just seen as a bit of a laugh, no harm done etc. No reason to worry about future difficulties for any gingers cos it's all a bit of a laugh!
Sorry I am aware I am ranting and do apologise, I don't equate it to racism but find it really annoying that the issue is belittled need some cake

I have a ginger DH and DD. When I gave birth to her my DH followed her over with the midwife when she was being cleaned and shouted across the theatre "she's ginger". We all cheered :)

Two of my Ds's are ginger, DS1 is of the bright, pale eyelashes variety. It has not affected him too much, there is some banter from friends but not excessive, although he does avoid large crowds of young men who are strangers and we did get heckled on holiday in England once. He feels it makes it harder to find a girlfriend.

However, he plans to join the navy and I am concerned about bullying during training in England.

I am ginger, and I was bullied at school, which is common. But I have very early memories of adults looking at me in disgust, and making negative comments on my hair and appearance. I don't remember who these people were, just someone's weird, old uncle at a family event. But, I grew believing that I was worthless, ugly and that nobody would ever want me. It makes me sad to think about any children who might be growing up feeling the same, just because of how they look.

I'm not sure I'd say it's ignorant to call it racist, cactus, though I can see your point.
If you're born with a colour (be it hair/ skin) that you can do nothing about, and are constantly mocked for it, surely that's a form of racism?
I have 2 ginger children. I must admit, as awful as it sounds, I was a little worried when my son was born with a shock of ginger hair. Of course, he was the most beautiful boy ever , but I just knew that he'd have to endure many ignorant comments for the rest of his life which made me sad. I've so far had someone say how disappointing for me, he's ginger, someone talk about their neighbour saying they didn't like them, "and they have ginger children", and people often saying they were worried they might have a ginger and then looking at me and backtracking. When I watch a program on TV (ok, comedy type quiz, nothing too intellectually challenging!) with a guest with ginger hair, I count to 10 and a comment by the host will have been made and the audience start laughing. Boring. My DS at 3 (luckily he didn't notice) was taunted for being ginger by a mob of school boys in a shopping centre. I got them kicked out by security, went home and had a little cry. People with ginger hair do have to grow up with thinker skin. Why should they? I find it slightly sickening when posters keep gushing about gingers and how sad they are they didn't have a ginger DC. Really? On the plus side, my DS is a super confident sporty and popular boy who hasn't noticed any ginger comments yet, though I'm sure things will change at secondary school. My ginger DH took up boxing as a child to give him more confidence because he was constantly picked on for being ginger. So I do think it is a form of racism. It does help filter out friends though. Anyone ignorant enough to make ginger comments I give a very wide birth!

When my eldest sister was born, my aunt said to my Mum Oh what a shame she is ginger, as she got older her hair went very much lighter.
My aunt went on to have 2 DS and 1DD who where really carroty ginger and still are. My Mum went on to have 1 black haired 1 white haired 1 brown haired and I was fair.

Ok, ok I'll reword it cactus and say it's a form of discrimination that seems to be acceptable in today's society (but can be extremely damaging). As a mum of gingers, I appreciate I'm extra sensitive in this topic.

Not sure what your point is fiverabbits?

cactusannie having dark skin or olive skin isn't 'a race' either - both they and ginger hair are racial characteristics. Fine to say being anti-red hair is racist, as much as that term would apply to someone who was anti dark skin.

But most people who are white British/Celtic/Irish/Scottish don't have red hair and more often than not the abuse comes from somebody of the same race and nationality.

It's definitely abuse and prejudice, but isn't it more about appearance than race?

I don't see that its any different to the internal skin colour hierarchy common to people from non- white ethnic backgrounds - and that's definitely racism.

By 'internal' I mean happening within that ethnic group

Our youngest is a red head. We've never called him ginger or allowed anyone else to. We prefer copper haired but are okay with red. He's never been teased about his colouring.

I hate the germ ginger. Really hate it.

You couldn't call a larger person lardarse or tubby without jaws dropping could you? Remember the hooha when that designer called Adele fat? It wasn't very nice but it would just raise a titter if he had bitched about her having fed hair (which I know she hasn't).

I've even boycotted a kids shampoo because it had a supposed quote from a child on the back - sonething about living on the moon and people having weird hair colours - like blue or orange.

It's shitty, its crap and in some cases gets violent and physical. But hey, its just a laf isn't it? Just a joke, bit of fun?

I'm just off to tell at the mousey browns in tbe park. 'Oi you effing brown squirrel, why don't you eff off back to Italy where you belong? Call that a fur colour? Bland, you are blaaaaand!'

I agree to hating the term "ginger" and "a ginger". I've just got so used to that term now. Think I'll revert back to using "redhead". Ginger does sound offensive though not sure why. Maybe I associate the word more with bullying.

I don't think ginger is in itself derogatory though, it's descriptive.

My DS2 has strawberry blond hair, approaching ginger, and he is gorgeous. My brother shaves his head now he is an adult. He is a real ginger and my mum used to grow his curls as a littly because she thought it was cute. He hated it and being mocked. How ridiculous that ginger hair is a thing to laugh at.

HAM69

My point is my aunt didn't like ginger children and then ended up with three. My ldeal child would be ginger with curls, I had 2 with curls but brown haired.

I don't think ginger is even descriptive... Grey on the outside pale yellow inside, pale yelliw when dried, isn't it?

Haha yes cherry good point

In that case I'm even less inclined to find it offensive as its so wrong!

My fresh ginger is brown on the outside abd yellowish in tbe inside, and the powdered stuff is brownish. And don't get me started on carrot tops (which are, in fact green).

Ginger or my personal favourite a ginger (what am I, an effing cat?), is usually used as a derogatory term. 'Ya auburn minger' doesn't really have the same ring, does it? I would merrily yank every hair out of the scalp of whoever first rhymed 'ginger' with 'minger'.