Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To love my ginger hair?

215 replies

SleepForTheWeek · 30/12/2017 15:10

All through school I was mocked for my hair colour, I hated it and prayed that if I had children they wouldn't be ginger. I dyed it blonde/brown/bright red when I was old enough (not at same time!)

It wasn't until I was an adult and working in an industry that involved people from other countries that I started getting compliments about my natural colour, I've not dyed it for a few years now and love it! It's not JUST 'ginger', it's reds/blonds/browns/golds all intertwined.

Even now I hear people say 'I hope my baby is not ginger' and I've even had a 'friend' tell me they'd drown their baby if it was ginger (in apparent jest). It's not OK to say that about skin colour/disabilities/sexual orientation, so why is it socially acceptable to say it about children with red hair???

Anyway, no point to this except to say

EMBRACE YOUR GINGER HAIR!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
WorraLiberty · 31/12/2017 00:06

I'm sorry if you find it offensive but it is indeed a fact that a lot of people don't just dislike the hair colour alone, but the things I listed too.

Hence the popularity of red hair dye not necessarily being comparable.

This thread has been done a hundred times over the years and those are some of the reasons often given, by those who dislike ginger hair.

I suppose you've kind of confirmed that by saying you were bullied for having pale skin.

Want2beme · 31/12/2017 00:17

Ginger hair is gorgeous. I'm very envious.

User24689 · 31/12/2017 00:45

Oh yes, I understand that worra, it's more the tone of your post suggested it was acceptable/ reasonable to just openly dislike these features of other people's bodies. It seems this is seen as ok/ understandable when it concerns redheads.

hevonbu · 31/12/2017 05:38

@Rae I'm so sorry, I don't get why people comment, it not really being an issue where I'm from.

One day at work a colleague showed up, she had previously had grey hair. She had spotted another colleague dying her hair with henna, and wanted the same, but the other colleague's base colour was dark brown, and my colleague hadn't thought about what that meant, in comparison with henna on white hair, so she showed up one day with a big frizzy and entirely ginger-coloured hair! (I had another colleague one day turn up with blue/bluish hair for similar unforeseeable reasons, it's popular now but was quite shocking at the time.)

Mxyzptlk · 31/12/2017 05:45

I'm in Scotland (which incidentally has one of the highest rates of red hair)

So am I, and I've never had any adverse comments about my orange hair. Neither has my adult DD.
We are both very fond of our hair colour.

graziemille · 31/12/2017 05:51

Another proud redhead here.
Not only is our hair colour pretty unique we have other differences too.

www.rd.com/culture/facts-about-redheads/

boredomtherapy.com/facts-about-redheads/

Mxyzptlk · 31/12/2017 05:56

those are some of the reasons often given, by those who dislike ginger hair.

So what?
It doesn't mean that rude comments are okay.

hevonbu · 31/12/2017 05:57

Interesting facts there!

hevonbu · 31/12/2017 05:58

Rude comments are never ok.

KenForPM · 31/12/2017 06:07

I have auburn hair, coppery sort of colour. Unlike many on this thread I’ve mostly had nice comments about it. I did get called “gingernut” once, but that was by a girl who was nasty to me for other reasons as well (thankfully it didn’t last long and she soon left my school).

lazydog · 31/12/2017 06:20

Sadly the ginger stigma isn't confined to the UK. We're in Canada and neither of my 2 boys have had any real bullying, as I've heard can be an issue, but there's still the undercurrent of jokes about gingers having no soul, and references (never acted upon, physically) to "kick a ginger day"...

KenForPM · 31/12/2017 06:27

That’ll be from South Park then. Sickening that what was meant as a “joke” from a cartoon (adult one but still) turned into a real event in some instances. South Park takes the piss out of everyone, so I’m not too concerned; the creators had no control over what people would do IRL.

hevonbu · 31/12/2017 06:33

Sadly the bullying stays with the person for long. I met with a red-haired person in a business context some years ago and there was this aura of previously having been bullied oozing out, you couldn't but wonder if that hadn't been the case and I suspect I'm particularly susceptible to it as I was bullied myself perhaps you then know the signs better and pick up on otherwise hidden cues because they're familiar to you too. Anyway at the time I was perfectly oblivious to any "kick .. a day"-attitudes (as I'm from/in another country where that saying doesn't exist) so couldn't make that connection. This person was in their fifties at the time. It's just my guesswork, but from reading on this thread it seems not unlikely.

Fishinthesink · 31/12/2017 06:51

Both DDs are redheads DD1 is more strawberry blonde (with ringlets!) and it's a gorgeous pinky reddish mix with streaks. DD2 is a 'proper' redhead but I think it will end up auburn.

My mum is a redhead (Scottish side) and very ginger but we were surprised because DPs family are all very dark and no one can remember any redheads. Recessive gene there somewhere. As the owner of a non-descript mouse brown straight mop I am wildly jealous!

My great grandmother never went grey either even into her 90s- just faded to strawberry blonde. I'm just hyper aware on Sun protection but am very pale myself.

We are also very strapping in my family- swimmers' shoulders- strong viking stock.

I'm disappointed people still get bullied. We live in a very diverse area so I hope it won't be a problem.

bluetongue · 31/12/2017 07:17

As a previous poster noted there is definitely an anti ginger sentiment in Australia. Instead of ginger they are often referred to as ‘rangas’ here (from orangutan. )

I do think red hair can be gorgeous but wouldn’t want it living in Australia. It’s bad enough being an average European omplexion here with the short time it takes to burn in the sun. Poor gingers practically have to be nocturnal in summer Sad

Amanduh · 31/12/2017 09:23

I'm ginger, well more auburn, and don't have to be nocturnal in summer! I tan easily.. good old stereotypes ey

Rebeccaslicker · 31/12/2017 09:26

YANBU. How I longed to have lovely long red hair like Anne Shirley and Jinny Manders when I was a child. I have dark brown hair but it has lots of red highlights (some are even natural!) and DP has ginger cousins and aunts, so I have my fingers secretly crossed that the new baby will pop out red headed...

But when we were having DD1, we had a 34 week growth scan and the sonographer showed us all her hair - then said, "but I'm afraid it's ginger." Er, that's not ok!!!

Raffles1981 · 31/12/2017 09:27

My little brother has red hair and my son is looking to be a redhead. My DSD thinks it's hilarious. She was constantly making jokes. Until I pointed out that she spends a fortune dyeing her hair a deep red. Confused ginger is amazing. I have mousey brown hair and often wish I had my brother's red hair!

Rebeccaslicker · 31/12/2017 09:27

(To joke about it like that I mean, not Dd1 being ginger. She's got light brown hair like her dad, in fact everything about her is like her dad, I may as well not have been there at conception....!)

TossDaily · 31/12/2017 09:29

Yup. I hated mine, it faded with age and now I pay a fortune to have it dyed back to what it was.

I saw a home video of myself as a child with the hated 'ginger' hair, and I could have cried, it was so beautiful.

TossDaily · 31/12/2017 09:30

Yup. I hated mine, it faded with age and now I pay a fortune to have it dyed back to what it was.

I saw a home video of myself as a child with the hated 'ginger' hair, and I could have cried, it was so beautiful.

Thetreesareallgone · 31/12/2017 09:35

Apart from some nicknames when at school, I've always liked having light ginger hair. It's ace when you get older as well, I have the same hair colour now in my late forties as I always have, whereas pretty much all my friends are dyeing it. I love my hair colour and have had lots of positive compliments about it over the years, plus no shortage of male interest (when I was young and slim too!)

I had never even heard of anti-ginger stuff til my thirties anyway- it seems to have been more of a thing lately. I don't think I've experienced it as an adult. I wasn't picked on more than my other friends who were teased for wearing glasses, being bigger, other features on their faces.

I don't doubt that it can be horrible, because children are horrible.

As an adult though, I think it has active benefits to have hair (and a look) people remember!

Luckymummy22 · 31/12/2017 09:39

Hairdressers used to say if they could they would ‘bottle’ the colour of my hair. It was the most gorgeous auburn colour. Unfortunately now I have to dye as I am going white.

But my son has the most gorgeous ginger hair. It’s a lot lighter than mine but such a lovely colour.

I wish my daughter had my auburn colouring

JustTheTip · 31/12/2017 09:44

Ginger hair rocks!

To love my ginger hair?
Thetreesareallgone · 31/12/2017 09:53

Just I love it! I honestly will do a double-take in the street at someone with long red hair, especially if curly or ringletted. It's my favourite type of hair (a bit like Brave!)

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread