"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

[miaowroar]

Love ginger hair on both sexes - nobody in my family is ginger although my son has a ginger beard, when he grows one, and my gran was ginger - so to make up for the lack of general gingerness, I have a ginger cat. Gotta have some ginger in your life!

I don't remember this prejudice at school in the 60s - was it because I went to a girls' school?

I always envied those with red hair - I thought my brown hair was boring.

[AugustRose]

Aww scatter DS looked very like baby one when he was little :)

[Devora]

This certainly is a UK thing. My dp - who is from the Caribbean - says, "What is it about white people and ginger? What's their problem?" But it's not white people, is it, it's UK people who have been offered an 'acceptable' reason to bully and denigrate others.

Some of them may genuinely believe ginger is ugly, because that's what they've been told. But it is the most stupid of all stupid attitudes. Honestly, I don't believe I could be friends with someone who said this, because if they're that lacking in intelligence and humanity and commonsense, then what on earth could we have in common?

[miaowroar]

... and now my grey hair is even more boring.

[Beebar]

I bet a lot of the people who secretly slag off red haired people are actually quite unattractive themselves.

Lack of self -esteem? It's prejudicial, simple as that.

[Madeyemoodysmum]

I'm in love with Rupert grint and it's pretty embarrassing as I'm old enough to be his mother. Love a red head.

[scatterthenuns]

August you lucky thing! DH is Celtic and dirty blonde, with many gingers in his family, so fingers crossed I'll get my own some day. Ignoring my own mahogany brown hair and dominant genes that are bound to cancel any of the lovely ginger out.

[SurlyCue]

I wonder if it goes back to the days when the celts were "lesser" and oppressed and attempts made to breed them out of existence. The red hair was a sign you were a celt and so to be hated and abused?

[Mmmmcake123]

My DD experienced hit a ginger day. She had no idea it was coming and just went into high school one day and was expected to endure the japes hahaha not!
She took this negative day on without too much complaint, she didn't like it obviously, but I am proud that she was strong enough to tell each person to cut that out now, mmm the joke is wearing thin etc. When she came home she was tired by it and we had a conversation about the world being overcrowded with idiots and sheep but luckily we are neither.
It worked for us but I can understand it wouldn't for others.
I really feel all gingers should be explicitly proud of their hair colour, skin tone and freckles if they have them. Also feel that promoting the word ginger is good, own it.
Btw..... When I was 18 I headed up north to Glasgow for a weekend and landed in ginger heaven hehe

[FlowersAndShit]

I bet a lot of the people who secretly slag off red haired people are actually quite unattractive themselves.

Of course, it can't possibly be the fact that I just think carrot ginger hair IS ugly. I don't like it, personally. You might, others might, I don't. What is wrong with that?!

[AugustRose]

You may still get one scatter - DH and I both have dark brown hair but with Celtic on my DF's side and lighter ginger on DH's DM's side. We have two ginger DC, one blonde and one brown so you never know

[NoArmaniNoPunani]

DH is ginger. I'm hoping the baby I'm pregnant with will be too.

[Katarzyna79]

I didn't realise people had such hatred for ginger/red heads, its on par with racism, such people will most likely discriminate against skin colour, sexuality, race, religion you name it. Disgusting individuals.

In England ginger/red heads aren't as widespread as they are in Scotland are they? I lived up there for 8 years just moved, and red heads are a common sight over there, I saw it as normal. In every bunch of school kids walking through the gates thered be at least 1 red head in the group.

Maybe its more rare in England?, and the way bullies work they like to pick on people who stand out as different and unique, because it makes them feel inadequate.

If I could have any hair colour it would be a deep vibrant red. Ive always been fascinated by the colour its so unique.

funny so many folks against red but its a really popular colour when women go grey or in their teens they all want to dye it red to stand out ironic huh

[aprilanne]

ignore stupid people my hubbys dream was a daughter with red hair .how he thought that would happen from two blond parents is anyones guess but he would have loved it

[mudandmayhem01]

My dh has Celtic roots, blonde hair and a very sexy ginger beard. I luff it and he is banned from shaving! DD also loves it as she feels like less of a changeling when people ask where her hair colour comes from.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

I had a mate with long ginger dreads and a ginger beard and he was smoking hot.

Seriously. Yum.

[scatterthenuns]

Haha August, I'm going to be like one of those women who keeps trying until they get the desired gender - but only for a ginger baby!

[FlowersAndShit]

I opened this thread to see how many posts it would be before someone said it was racist. 7, if anyone's interested.

Gingerist/Gingerism?

[AdjustableWench]

I have three kids and NONE of them are ginger . I blame my DH for his lack of ginger genes despite having Scottish ancestry. Ginger (of all hues) is beautiful!

[SurlyCue]

It was never apparent to me until secondary school that ginger hair was anything other than a hair colour exactly the same as brown, blonde and black. Oh and grey! My primary school class had 5/6 that i can think of with red/ginger hair. It was just hair! Nobody made any mention of it.

[HopefulAnxiety]

Ginger hair is not equivalent to being black, no, and anti-gingerness isn't racism.

However anti-gingerness is rooted in anti-Scottish and anti-Irish prejudice in England, so it is xenophobic.

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

I cannot believe that people think it's ok to say things like that. Certain colourings may not be to everyone's taste (not so keen on blond looks myself) but that kind of negativity is appalling. And it legitimises the bullying that sadly does happen disproportionately to redheads.

Look at those gorgeous pictures scatter posted! How could anyone not think they're beautiful?

[Gabilan]

My usual response to this kind of comment is along the lines of "well it's better than being a boring, brown-haired cunt". Or, if I'm feeling less imaginative, I tell them to fuck off. As a child, I just hit them but apparently if you do that as an adult you can get into trouble.

Being a redhead does influence my outlook on life. Mainly I've realised that an awful lot of people are dicks.

[HairyLittleCarrot]

Hey shit:
I bet a lot of the people who secretly slag off red haired people are actually quite unattractive themselves.

Of course, it can't possibly be the fact that I just think carrot ginger hair IS ugly.

Well yeah, possibly, but my money's on theory number one in your case.

I don't like it, personally. You might, others might, I don't. What is wrong with that?!

What's wrong with that is that you expressed that opinion to another person, you muppet.