Brown haired white kids never in photos

[StevieChicks]

Just that really.
Seen the new school prospectus. Beautiful blond children everywhere, front cover and throughout, a few mixed race children, fewer black and Asian students (because racism) but without a doubt the least photographed children are kids like mine. Children with naturally brown, mousey or dark brown hair.
It's not the same as racism and I would not for a second think that this trivial matter is in any way similar to other discourses around representation. And maybe I have a chip on my shoulder from the eighties when I was never a Disney princess and had to be the evil witch. It doesn't feel like much has changed.
My son's hair is thick and dark brown/ black. He has very pale skin. I just don't see this as the desired aesthetic. The world still goes mad for blonde children.

Can't say I've ever noticed this. I have very dark hair and pale skin, and my DS has mousy hair tan skin and brown eyes.

Yep, it's a thing. I was the dark-haired one of my siblings. The bias is of course nowhere near what people of other races and ethnicities go through every day, but it doesn't mean that that bias isn't sometimes there. I distinctly remember an adult telling one of my parents that it was a shame I wasn't blonde like my other siblings, when I was about 7.

Looking at the photos on our website. Front photo, strawberry blonde girl,
then mousey blonde child with Asian child and mixed heritage child,
then blonde child with dark haired white teacher,
then blonde teacher with blonde child,
then a mixed class of girls,
then an Asian child with a black child,
then a mousey brown haired white kid (mine),
then a black child, a brown haired white child and a blonde teacher.

I'm not seeing any bias here.
11 kids.

1 strawberry blonde white child,
2 blonde children,
1 mousey blonde white child,
1 mousey brown white child,
1 dark haired white child,
2 dark haired Asian children,
1 dark haired mixed heritage child,
2 dark haired black child.

For full disclosure, the red headed child is in the back of my sins photo but you can't tell his hair colour.

Just looked at my dd's school prospectus and this is not the case! A real mix but mainly brown haired white kids

I’m not in the UK but in my dd’s school photos there was basically not a single child who wasn’t blonde. I think one or two adopted children with dark hair.

Our mixed race DGS appeared on a page illustrating very studious pupils. We were rather surprised, but pleased.

I'm sure redheads everywhere will be fascinated to hear it's actually blonde hair which is openly mocked and disliked

My son's hair is thick and dark brown/ black. He has very pale skin. I just don't see this as the desired aesthetic. The world still goes mad for blonde children.
I think you sound a bit precious. Why do you care if your dc is on the school website? I know only one mum in RL who thinks like you, her dc have brown hair, she's a proud blonde (her words) and she deludes herself that other kids get selected for opportunities cos they're blonde. If this is true, she must have 'benefitted' from such a bias herself as a kid as she is blonde. She is angry that her dc who are perfectly lovely do not get the recognition she wants, apparently. Of course it's all mad, she's imagining it, has an envious streak and is a Very Competitive Mum. 🙎

I have both blonde and mousey brown haired children, if anything between them the mousey brown child is photographed considerably more and included within club team and school things - she’s simply more photogenic even though the blonde child is more traditionally beautiful. This is likely more you picking up on something that has bothered you than it being a wide spread thing

My kids have tanned skin and are very fair haired- but their inability to sit still and lack of willingness to smile on cue I presume is the reason they aren’t in photos whilst friends with other hair colours often are!

It’s a mix here with younger children but by the time they reach secondary school the blonde hair has turned brown in many cases.

Absolutely! It’s incredible to me that ‘Blonde moment’ / ‘Am I being blonde’ comments are still acceptable in professional settings, but I have heard them frequently throughout my career even in high-level management meetings.

You say there aren't many black children "because racism" but could it not be because it's proportionate to the number in the school? If there are twice as many white kids in the school, surely this is fine to be reflected in the prospectus.

Why do people read into everything and find problems that aren't there?

Strange, I haven’t experienced this and my DD has dark brown hair and pale skin. Our school is very diverse though so maybe that’s why.

I have noticed this with clothes catalogues, and I am in Spain, loads of blonde kids that need braces. My daughter is blonde, but she is a minority. About 80% of the catalogue kids are blonde. This is a Spanish retailer.
But, I have not noticed this in the school prospectus at all. There is quite a mix.

Exactly, it's not acceptable anymore! I'm sure it still happens but less people tolerate it.

I guarantee in a room of people if you made a negative comment about redheads it would be challenged more than if you made a negative comment about blondes. People are aware that negativity towards redheads happens and isn't acceptable, can't say the same thing for blondes.

Brown haired white kids never in photos

Total reach.

Growing up in the 80’s blonde jokes were widespread and common. All blonde jokes were about blond people (particularly women) being incredibly stupid.

Ours chooses the children on the basis of who will listen, do what they're asked without giggling or look embarrassed in photos.

Never any redheads in my last school’s prospectus (or ginger as another poster listed)

I’ve just checked the prospectus for the school I work in, and in the opening video the majority of students shown have brown or light brown hair.

There are more students with red hair than blonde, and more black and more Asian students than either of those.

My two youngest are dark hair, olive skin, brown eyes. Could never get birthday cards that didn't have blonde children on, now I'm looking for my lighter GC, I've noticed that it's gone the other way. It's strange that the photographer didn't want a mix, otherwise it can look a bit village of the dammed.

How school includes all, including your "brown haired white child"
Hey, even a head scarf, too!
Gosh who cares!
Perhaps they were approachable good role model students as well as students/ parents willing to be in the prospectus.
As long as the school does a great job I could not care less!

Growing up I was obsessed with the film Annie because there were never ginger haired people on any other tv/films that I saw.

I just looked at DS's primary and secondary school websites and both have lots of brown haired kids, the secondary even has a red head!

Are you for real? I've genuinely never noticed this as a thing. I have nearly-black hair and green eyes, it's an unusual combination in this country so I don't expect to see many people with my colouring in prospectuses. Blond people especially in childhood are more common in the south of England. I don't assume people are discriminating against brunettes.