about the postman and my daughter's beautiful hair.

[Rosae]

My 13 month old daughter has (what I consider to be) beautiful ginger hair. Very ginger.
While signing for a parcel today the royal mail postman commented to me ' she is quite the ginge isn't she? You'll wanna be getting some hair dye for that soon' with a little snigger after it. I'm not very good or fast with comebacks so just looked at him I shock then went back in.
AIBU that this comment made me upset and worried about the future for her? My hubby has strawberry blonde hair and got badly teased and bullied for it at school.
Friends sometimes make jokes about it but in a more lovingly teasing way that I brush off in general and say 'yes she's gorgeous isn't she? ' Should I be stopping it?

You can't win either way. I'm a redhead, fancied a change so I coloured it. Then I got "oh have you coloured it to hide that you're ginger?"
Mine is mega curly too so two thing people pick at

I don't think I've ever seen a woman with red hair and not had to fight the urge to go and tell her how stunningly gorgeous it is. I'm blonde but my husband loves redheads and I've even died it red for a change numerous times. And as for men... give me a good looking bloke and a choice of hair colour and it will be red every time.

I just don't get the negativity?!

Your postman was very rude indeed, wonder if he'd have made the same comment to Henry VIII or Elizabeth I. Many famous people throughout history and now have red hair, perhaps you could give him a list!

I'm not sure, as bad as the insults are, they have much to do with anti Irishness. I think for the vast majority there's an association with Scotland first.

I have curly red hair. The only time it was made fun of was when an entertainer at junior school Xmas party made a comment and some of the boys copied him at lunch time. I remember feeling quite upset but just ignoring them and carrying on playing with my friends. They soon list interest.
As an adult I get lots of compliments which is nice!
Please don't worry about your DD being bullied about her hair, just raise her to be confident about it and perhaps know one or two good put-downs! I would complain about the postman though, he shouldn't be making personal comments about customers.

Has anyone else been contacted by the evening standard?

Very rude. I'd complain too.

Omg was just lodging a complaint when the actual royal mail postman showed up so it can't have been royal mail! Now I don't know which company it was. I just saw the t shirt colour, and my neighbour (who the parcel was for and I'm a bit scared of so don't want to bother, that's a whole other thread) has already been to collect the parcel. Sorry Royal mail!

What a cheeky thing to say.
I would definitely have to say something to him about it. Along the lines of ..'I took offence at what you said about my daughter's hair and don't appreciate your comments m8"

I think that parcels and letters are delivered at different times and by different people in the Royal Mail, might be wrong though.

Rosae, have a look at the label on the parcel, that should tell you who the delivery was made by eg ParcelForce, Hermes, Royal Mail, PDP etc.

A bank was sued for damages when one of its clerks made a comment about a customer's red hair: Article
(I'm not suggesting you're after damages though OP. ) I thought I'd read somewhere that "gingerism" was treated like racism in law, but it's not quite that simple - the article explains it better than I would.

The Postman is an arse - it sounds like every stupid thought in his head falls out of his mouth.

It was a tactless/silly thing for postie to say. Foot in mouth. If he said that when she's 13 he'd make her self-conscious about it. So unnecessary.

Ginger/red hair is glorious IMHO. No wonder they get a reputation for a hot temper if they have to put up with silly remarks like that. Any reasonable person would feel annoyed.

I've never understood this. The prettiest girl at my school (and my best friend for many years) was a red head. She was very popular and incredibly proud of her hair.

Your daughter is lucky to have red hair. Help her to grow up not to suffer fools gladly.

I am afraid there is a lot of minimising going on on this thread. I dont think it is meant badly but it is minimising.

No one should have to come back with witty quips, rise above it or any of the other coping strategies. Commenting negatively about something so fundamental to a person as their natural hair colour is offensive behaviour. It should be complained about formally wherever possible. It would be automatic if the comments were about skin colour.

So beautiful.

My lovely ginger dd is nearly two and nobody has ever been negative about her hair. In fact she gets far more positive comments than her 'children of the corn' beautifully blond brother and sister.

Congratulations OP on having a daughter with ginger hair. It's beautiful and unusual and is highly prized by people of taste. I hope your daughter grows up confident and pleased with her body.

What an idiot that Postman is.

Really, you have to feel sorry for him don't you?

2/10

Welcome to the world of red hair. Had it all my childhood.

I complained recently to BBC as they had a kids programme where there was a weirdo kid who had red hair and glasses. There is also a local advert taking the piss out of someone with red hair and glasses!!

I've got two little DDs with strawberry blonde hair.
I actually get a lot of compliments on the colour! I certainly wouldn't tolerate any teasing or nasty comments, even thinking about it makes me cross

He actually said that?

Been skimming through this thread and just wanted to add my outrage! I'm pg with my first, and am absolutely certain he/she will be a redhead...my Irish DH is the spitting image of Greg Rutherford, and has three flame-haired siblings! My blonde genes don't stand a chance, and I couldn't care less.

DH always looks puzzled if anyone (rarely) comments on his hair...growing up in Ireland, it was completely the norm. I really hope it's as normal for our DC too - and if anyone ever makes a comment within my earshot, I will tear them to shreds! It's completely unacceptable.

Oh don't retract your OP just because the Evening Standard have contacted you

Just tell them to bugger off.