Worried about Dd being ginger in the uk

Takestwohourstoniptotheshop · 2025-07-09T13:47:22+00:00

Redhead, Golden haired… We are moving back to the uk next year. Dd was born in the country we’re currently living in. The majority of people are dark haired, brown eyes and tanned skin. Dd is reddy gold hair, blue eyes and fair skin. She gets attention everywhere she goes about her hair and eyes, people compliment her a lot and are very gushing about her looks, it’s lovely My impression is that this is very different in the uk and cruelly this is used as an insult almost, is this still the case? The thought of it is heartbreaking

Original poster

Takestwohourstoniptotheshop · 09/07/2025 14:48

*Dd has reddy gold hair

OP posts:

Dabralor · 09/07/2025 14:49

Er no. I am ginger and people here in the UK spend a fortune to have hair like mine. She will be fine.

Bigi · 09/07/2025 14:49

Probably do her good not to be fawned over wherever she goes

Needmorelego · 09/07/2025 14:50

No one over the age of about 6 will use it as an insult.
It's not a thing.

Fancycheese · 09/07/2025 14:50

When I was in school it was common for boys to be teased, probably borderline bullied, for having red hair. However the girls I knew with red hair didn’t receive anywhere near the same level of flak. There might be the odd comment from idiots, but I wouldn’t worry unduly.

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 09/07/2025 14:50

No, red hair is thought to be lovely

she might get the odd idiot calling her ginger in a rude way, but it’ll be rare

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 09/07/2025 14:51

Bigi · 09/07/2025 14:49

Probably do her good not to be fawned over wherever she goes

Bloody hell, I wouldn’t want to be you.

Original poster

Takestwohourstoniptotheshop · 09/07/2025 14:53

Bigi · 09/07/2025 14:49

Probably do her good not to be fawned over wherever she goes

It’s lovely actually, the comments are very kind

OP posts:

BadWoIf · 09/07/2025 14:53

I don't have red hair, so no personal experience, but I don't think anti-red sentiment is really a thing in the UK any more. I've only ever heard much older people say anything negative about it. I think red/strawberry blonde hair is very attractive and I think most people of my age would agree!

ShortColdandGrey · 09/07/2025 14:53

She will get the odd mean comment in her life time, like most people in the world. If she didn't have ginger hair mean people would pick some other reason. She is not going to have to deal with a mob of people shouting and chasing her because she has ginger hair.

pollytunnelanna · 09/07/2025 14:54

Ginger or ‘copper’ hair has become a real trend in the uk with lots of people dying their hair that colour.
my DSD has auburn ringlets down to her waist and has done child modelling. Majority of comments are extremely positive and the ones that aren’t do just come from jealousy.

distinctpossibility · 09/07/2025 14:55

Yeah it is used as an insult especially from ages 9 to 15 in my experience (ginger with a ginger son) Imo it is rooted in historic xenophobia about Celtic ancestry. But there aren't the same microaggressions and systemic disadvantages as racism, sexism, Islamophobia etc. and it cannot be compared. In my experience it has been mostly replacing adjectives or modifiers with "ginger" so "ginger slag" or "ginger bitch". There is very little intelligence under the insults and somehow, to me at least, they never felt deeply personal - except for an ongoing obsession from boys in Year 10 and 11 with the colour of my pubic hair......

However it is very unlikely she will be the only ginger person in her class let alone her school: in my experience teachers do now respond to it as bullying if it gets reported, which they didn't used to in the 90s and 00s. My son is 6 and has only had a negative experience with one lad who tells him his hair is "yucky ginger hair" - in a way, this kind of vile child is bound to find something to insult or ridicule in anyone he meets, so at least it feels very obvious and he doesn't go looking for anything more personal.

QuantumLevelActions · 09/07/2025 14:55

I've only ever had compliments about my red hair, both in the UK and abroad.

ticktockclocked · 09/07/2025 14:56

I have red hair and it definitely is a thing that it’s used as an insult for girls as well, although boys do suffer more. I’m 34 so finished school in 2007, it’s possible things have changed but it definitely was a thing when I was growing up, but it’s not that bad, just stupid comments as such. Your daughter will be fine but it helps to have a thick skin about it

miraxxx · 09/07/2025 14:58

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 09/07/2025 14:51

Bloody hell, I wouldn’t want to be you.

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You might not be familiar with the sight of people in Asia and the ME fawning over a white baby simply because it is white, but I am. It is rather unhealthy. All babies should be given positive attention but the adulation of white skin is something rather unholy. Black babies are told - this I heard myself- "you are so black but you are still cute". Being bullied for red hair and white skin is another version of the same thing.

Original poster

Takestwohourstoniptotheshop · 09/07/2025 14:59

ticktockclocked · 09/07/2025 14:56

I have red hair and it definitely is a thing that it’s used as an insult for girls as well, although boys do suffer more. I’m 34 so finished school in 2007, it’s possible things have changed but it definitely was a thing when I was growing up, but it’s not that bad, just stupid comments as such. Your daughter will be fine but it helps to have a thick skin about it

Edited

I just hate the thought of her thinking ‘What’s wrong with my hair?’ 😔 we’ve only ever built her up, it’s a gorgeous colour, I don’t understand why it even is such a thing

OP posts:

Original poster

Takestwohourstoniptotheshop · 09/07/2025 15:00

I remember that seeing a video where that awful Katie woman made a joke about babies with ginger hair and just feeling such a strong, protective feeling towards dd

OP posts:

TheignT · 09/07/2025 15:01

BadWoIf · 09/07/2025 14:53

I don't have red hair, so no personal experience, but I don't think anti-red sentiment is really a thing in the UK any more. I've only ever heard much older people say anything negative about it. I think red/strawberry blonde hair is very attractive and I think most people of my age would agree!

Look at threads about Prince Harry, ginger is frequently used as an insult.

I'm no longer a red head but definitely had the teasing and rude names when I was younger. I never quite understood the fascination people seemed to have about ginger pubic hair and was told many times that someone couldn't have sex with someone with ginger pubic hair. My normal reply was you should be so lucky.

I do think it can vary, really orange ginger hair lots of insults, golden hair much less likely.

ClowningArounds · 09/07/2025 15:02

Bigi · 09/07/2025 14:49

Probably do her good not to be fawned over wherever she goes

Honestly, I agree with this.
My DD has silky blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes, all of which are rare in the country we live in. She also gets fawned over about her looks a lot, and whilst I obviously agree with all the people commenting that she's beautiful (but then I'm extremely biased!), I don't think it's particularly good for her. She's definitely got a self image that her colouring makes her special, which makes me somewhat uncomfortable. When we go to visit family in the UK she looks like every second child in the playground, and I think it does bother her a bit - but it's good for her!

FamingolosForDays · 09/07/2025 15:02

I dyed my hair ginger last week because I love the colour- I have only had compliments since!

I think it used to be a thing but not a big deal now. Red hair is beautiful. I wish I was a real ginger 😆

fireplaceember · 09/07/2025 15:03

TheignT · 09/07/2025 15:01

Look at threads about Prince Harry, ginger is frequently used as an insult.

I'm no longer a red head but definitely had the teasing and rude names when I was younger. I never quite understood the fascination people seemed to have about ginger pubic hair and was told many times that someone couldn't have sex with someone with ginger pubic hair. My normal reply was you should be so lucky.

I do think it can vary, really orange ginger hair lots of insults, golden hair much less likely.

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Exactly that
the insults haven’t changed either. Being asked if the carpet matches the curtains, Duracell, carrot top and a lot of mocking over my pale skin

QuantumLevelActions · 09/07/2025 15:03

Takestwohourstoniptotheshop · 09/07/2025 15:00

I remember that seeing a video where that awful Katie woman made a joke about babies with ginger hair and just feeling such a strong, protective feeling towards dd

I wouldn't take KH's views as being representative of the whole of the UK...

ilparadodosdoltos · 09/07/2025 15:03

Where in the UK? I’d never heard the idea of ‘ginger’ being used pejoratively until I came to England from Scotland. And never really heard anyone in England being called a ‘ginge’, more like redheads have told me they were called that growing up. In Scotland I thought of them as ‘redheads’ and don’t remember any teasing or bullying - it was too common.

Littlemisscapable · 09/07/2025 15:05

Riiight..you are giving this far too much headspace. Of the many challenges that moving back to the UK will bring this is absolutely not one of them. Stop worrying about nothing..

TheignT · 09/07/2025 15:05

distinctpossibility · 09/07/2025 14:55

Yeah it is used as an insult especially from ages 9 to 15 in my experience (ginger with a ginger son) Imo it is rooted in historic xenophobia about Celtic ancestry. But there aren't the same microaggressions and systemic disadvantages as racism, sexism, Islamophobia etc. and it cannot be compared. In my experience it has been mostly replacing adjectives or modifiers with "ginger" so "ginger slag" or "ginger bitch". There is very little intelligence under the insults and somehow, to me at least, they never felt deeply personal - except for an ongoing obsession from boys in Year 10 and 11 with the colour of my pubic hair......

However it is very unlikely she will be the only ginger person in her class let alone her school: in my experience teachers do now respond to it as bullying if it gets reported, which they didn't used to in the 90s and 00s. My son is 6 and has only had a negative experience with one lad who tells him his hair is "yucky ginger hair" - in a way, this kind of vile child is bound to find something to insult or ridicule in anyone he meets, so at least it feels very obvious and he doesn't go looking for anything more personal.

The racism reference interests me. My husband is black I'm a red head. He was talking about abuse and insults early days in our relationships. I commented that I got it as well and he was very huffy about it. We were on a train one day and I got loads of abuse off a gang of teenagers. He was really shocked and apologised for how he'd dismissed it. It's the same but just as nasty.