What do we think of ‘gingerism’?

[Nikee20]

It’s annoying me!
Why is okay to be not okay with gingers?
Today a colleague said ‘I have a new grandchild, but they’re ginger…for now . But the sun might bleach it.’

Is this okay to say ‘shut the F up’ or -

YABU - this is fine, be quiet

YANBU - this is shit

This ^ is utter crap.

Why should someone have to change hair colour in order to avoid being bullied?

We’re not saying you have to like ginger hair, just don’t make an issue out of it and don’t bully people who are born with it!

That's not my son's experience. As a teenager he had a lot of insults about being a "ginger".

I think it is to a degree. I have as red hair as you can get. Raised in the states - never an issue. Moved to the UK - a lot of negative comments. I love the colour (this colour, ❤️ ) of my hair.

Edit: Quoted wrong comment.

@waltzingparrot you seem to have no idea about anything.

Mmm… “Ranga” is short for “orangutan” though, isn’t it? So not ideal either…

Both of my DD have red hair. Both have had comments. One of my DD has had particularly nasty comments which the school have had to deal with as bullying. I don't think it's gone anywhere. Idiots who seem to see it as 'bullying lite': they were born with it, they didn't choose it, it has nothing to do with their worth as people

I'm ginger. Ruined my school days. Now everyone adores my hair colour. However, if I use the 'G' word, people will immediately say "It's not ginger. It's titian / strawberry blonde / auburn blah blah blah." I find it offensive. Pretty sure they wouldn't correct me if it was brown or blonde?

It's not the same as racism, but the othering whether for good or bad, the insulting and then the fetishising is still appalling

It kind of is, when you consider that studies have shown people perceive redheads as less competent, others are less likely to hire them and they are less likely to be considered as a partner. They were also targeted in history and killed on the basis of an immutable characteristic.

Now I have read theories that because freckles equals higher tendency for cancer, it was a sound strategy to avoid redheads so as to avoid passing this trait to your descendants. So perhaps this is where the instinctive ‘disgust’ response is coming from.

Adding that none of this is okay, I am only describing a phenomenon present in society and am of course not endorsing it.

I'm ginger. If my child was born with ginger hair, I would honestly feel slightly dissapointed while also excited to be passing along the family trait. I was bullied a lot at school and they often used my hair colour against me and I would hate for my children to go through that.

Yeah, I was worried about this too. He came out blonde. Not like either parent.

My son is ginger. A colleague asked to see a photo of him when he was a baby and responded, “oh no, he’s ginger!”. I also have a family member who insists “it’ll go blonder as he gets older/in the summer” in a ‘don’t worry’ tone - I always respond by saying I hope not, I love his hair colour.

It’s very odd.

I do wonder what these people think when they end up with a ginger baby/grandchild. Like both parents have brown/black/blonde hair and then come out with a ginger baby.

Do they actually not like them?

I wish we could make it a ‘crime’ to make negative comments about ginger hair.

It's completely unacceptable and I challenge it when it happens.

Yes, and that's what I said too! You've all spectacularly missed that I made the same comment as all of you. I only ever said you don't have to like the colour but you shouldn't dislike/abuse the person for that reason. I never said someone with ginger hair should dye it.

My husband had the most fabulous dark auburn ringlety hair, now sadly so darkened that you would hardly know he had been a red head. I was hoping some red genes might manifest in the kids but the closest we got is dark blonde with a tiny hint of strawberry if I squint! And no ringlets!

DS is unexpectedly ginger (neither me or DH are, one family member is on one side). I wish he wasn't because people can be mean about ginger hair. He is gorgeous though 😍

Well most of my family has lovely ginger hair and I am very jealous I didn’t get it.
They are all very proud of it, and they are all also very successful. A few losers tried to make fun of my niece in school, but her hair was so obviously gorgeous it was easy for her and her friends to laugh at them.

Never come across actual ginger prejudice by adults, surely it can’t be that common?

I find it hilarious that those who did ginger jokes and bullying at school now dye their hair red. I mean, wtf? I've always loved ginger hair. I have the gene but not the hair colour, that was passed to my eldest son who has striking blond hair with a very ginger beard. He's bloody gorgeous.

It didn’t take long to go there with someone making this utterly ridiculous and offensive comparison

I think I’m gonna have to step off this thread if I read another comment like this.

So fucking offensive and wrong

YaMuvva It may not be the same as racism, but when you are a child being severely bullied for your hair colour, the experience at the time is the same and just as devastating.

It also has it's roots in race as other posters have pointed out, stemming from anti-Irish hatred

I’m not condoning bullying of redheads.

But it’s not even close to the same as racism, and is now so far removed from Irish xenophobia, and it’s deeply offensive to compare the two

Nope. It's just another shade of "having a paddy", which I know you feel even more vehemently about than I do.

Not necessarily racist in individuals, but definitely a sentiment with racist roots that anyone reasonable would leave behind when it's pointed out.

I’d agree that it’s not a thing so much in schools. DS is a redhead and it isn’t something that comes up. We are heading towards the highlands so there are a couple of redheads in every class.

Honestly the only joke I’ve heard was from a redhead kid stroking my fox red lab saying you’ve got to give a big of love to a fellow ginge.

I think red hair is gorgeous.

How awful 😞 I'm genuinely envious as Auburn hair is absolutely stunning. Perhaps some of your bullying was jealousy? Not that it makes it any better of course.