That colleague made comment about ginger babies

[CheesexCrackers]

To be annoyed about a colleague making comments about ginger hair?

A colleague has recently come back from maternity leave and was talking about her dd.

She said she's so glad she's got brown hair, it would be the worst to have a ginger baby, I would of hated to have a ginger baby it would of been horrible.... she then glanced around the room and noticed my hair and made an awkward face.

I'm pregnant with my first and may well have a red haired baby, which I would personally love.

Is it the pregnancy hormones talking or am I right to be pissed off that she's targeting red hair.... and even red haired babies??

I am a redhead and I know people tend to find it funny and harmless but I find comments like that so hurtful.

I went through school with people making stupid comments about my hair, so to have it revisited in the work place just reminds me of it all.

Recently a colleague of mine said something had been 'a bit of a redheaded stepchild for the team' and people laughed???? Just unbelievably rude.

I will never ever ever understand the anti redhead thing. It's the most vibrant, eye catching colour going. It genuinely baffles me.

Having said that, personal preferences aside; it's disgustingly rude to make these sorts of disparaging remarks and a good indicator that the person is a twat.

To be fair, you hear a lot less of this nonsense in Scotland and N Ireland where there are more red heads. My youngest has beautiful red hair and has never had any negative comments about it, he had two other redheads in his class at Primary and it just wasn't a "thing".

It comes back to anti-Irish discrimination mostly, and before that anti-semitism as red hair was associated with Azkhenazi Jews. It's pure ignorance and to be honest just makes the people making the ridiculous comments sound utterly thick and bigoted.

I really don't think it's ok to compare anyone to poo, regardless of how shitty the parent is.

If the mum said 'I'm so happy baby is lovely and tanned' rather than pale, you won't call the baby poo skinned. I know that brown hair is different to brown skin but I have to raise an eyebrow.

Just take the high ground and ignore, or call them out properly

We're fucking crap with anaesthesia, though.

On the positives, there's no grey hair to worry about, as it all goes pure white instead...

I don't have red hair but I always say something to thick-wits who comment on it, along the lines of 'Why are you perpetuating the dislike of a hair colour?'. Anybody who speaks of 'gingers' or 'red heads' in a derogatory manner needs pulling up on it.

I think if your hear it and say nothing then you're no better than them.

I don't either, I cringed when I read that post.

I also don't agree with the glorification of it as a defence. That's just as daft. People who don't like red hair won't give a fig and they won't believe you anyway, they'll see it for the posturing it is.

Disdain is the way, total disdain for their stupid ignorance.

She’s a ridiculous ass, but I find redheads absolutely gorgeous 🤷🏽‍♀️.

I wanted a ginger baby and got one. (husband was a ginger baby)
She grew up being called ginger ninja. When she got to school she was used to hearing the word ginger so the insults went over her head mostly.
She's 17 now, absolutely stunning and my little ninja is now a 6ft tall black belt in karate.
The few that did tease her are absolutely jealous of her gorgeous auburn hair.
The last laughs on her.

Our DD(18) has long, thick, flowing red hair and is tall and pretty with it. She stops traffic. I bet Brown Hair baby won't do the same in 18 years.

I've never understood negative comments about red hair, I think red hair is gorgeous. I was a boring brunette before turning grey and for years I died my hair various shades of red and loved it. When my son married a girl with glorious red hair I was hopeful of red headed grandchildren, but it was not to be, one is brunette and one is blonde, ah well.

The cheek! I'm a redhead, but my dad had black hair and my mam's was brown.
It's a recessive gene, but l had a ginger grandparent on each side, grandma on my dad's side, grandad on my mam's, so double whammy!
I'm the only grandchild out of about two dozen with red hair, though, so the rest likely only had one gene.
My mam's brother was ginger, but all three of his kids have dark hair.

I've never once had a negative comment about it, quite the opposite!
She's just ignorant, OP. At least your baby won't have a twat for a mother. 😁

You're being just as ignorant and prejudiced. Why not just be proud of your own child without the need to pull somebody else's child down?

That's what I meant about posturing. I can see where it comes from, attack being the best form of defence but it's pointless and it sounds hollow. Celebrate your colouring any way you like - but just yours and your own. Everyone else can sort themselves out.

Your colleague left her sense at home with her manners. To say what she said in front of somebody with red hair and pregnant? Not knowing how many other people in the room might have red-haired partners! I think your response should have been "I hope my baby doesn't have a thick, gobby mother. Imagine growing up knowing your mother has no self-awareness. That would be horrible."

No it's not pregnancy hormones it's stupidity about red hair, which is lovely, and I wish I had it. My late DH did and it looked wonderful (he became resolutely 'ash blond' as time went on). It's also a bit racist since ginger/red hair is somewhat associated with the Irish and the Scots. But I'd ignore her, she's stupid. Or you could be nasty and say you are so glad you don't have mousy (brown) hair.

ginger hair is absolutely beautiful. My very rude midwife said when my daughter was being born “don’t worry, it’s not a ginger” which was a horrible thing to say in front of my redhead mother! My son has the most beautiful red hair and he gets compliments daily, walking around with him its ridiculous how many people come up to us and say lovely things about him. Your colleague is an idiot!!

You are right to be annoyed however as a red head i am glad that neither of my 3 have red hair! They are pale & burn easily like me but have dark browh hair like their dad. It it more “fashionable” now to have red hair with people paying a fortune to try to dye it but personally i always hated having red hair & the bullying that came with it and it took me until my 30s to embrace it and stop dying it.

of course if i had had a baby with red hair i wouldn’t have been upset or embarrassed and would have raised them to value themselves & their “uniqueness” and whilst a healthy baby was all i had hoped for (hair colour wasn’t a worry nor
was gender) i am glad they won’t have a life time of jokes like i did.

i now like my hair, i embrace it & i’d laugh of any ginger jokes but sadly there is still dome people out there who think it is ok to slag off ginger hair or make out there is something wrong with it and i can help being glad it’s one less thing for them
to be ridiculed over. I would still have said something to your colleague.

Just leaving this here... 😁

I love ginger babies, they are the cutest! Ignore her stupid comments xx

Ginger hair is fantastic! 💗

I have never understood the crap about ginger hair. No one would dream of passing comments like that about any other form of human colouring.

Were you part of the conversation? If you were I don’t know why you didn’t say ‘what would be wrong with that? Luckily I’m not superficial and I don’t care what colour hair my baby will have’ although it’s easier in hindsight and I definitely get bolder as I get older!

She's talking absolute shite, including all the ridiculous 'would of...' You should have said, "I assume you mean would HAVE?"

I mean it was obviously a joke but since you've taken it so seriously, I'll bite. I hate the idea that one should always have to take the high ground when someone is openly being a cock (usually women who get told this too, funny that). Why should I? Someone calling my baby's hair ugly is getting it back, sorry. It's the same shit that was said to me as a child "oh just ignore bullies, turn the other cheek!" Which obviously works so well. Why not be petty and bite back?

Bluntly pointing out how rude and stupid she's being by giving her some of her own bullshit back is far more effective in my experience than trying to "take the high ground" or hitting her with a mumsnet tinkly laugh and "did you mean to be so rude?"

I have red hair and just assume those who comment negatively are envious (or not very intelligent). It’s one of the last ‘acceptable’ -isms isn’t it?

Ginger hair is a gift.