Flaming Portraits
Red hair has always been my favourite. I have always admired how the different hues of red, orange, gold and copper shimmer in the sunlight with otherworldly magic. Just beautiful! Redheads are so lucky to have this hair colour... or are they? After moving to the UK from my native Spain, I found out about how individuals with this characteristic hair colour were often subjected to discrimination and ridicule. Through these portraits I explore the struggles and resilience of those who have been marginalized for this unique trait. I am hoping that this series of portraits highlight the strength and pride of this often overlooked minority, shedding light on how little has changed over time. By focusing on the human experience and individuality, I try to challenge preconceived notions and embrace the striking beauty found in differences - transforming what was once a source of shame into a powerful statement of identity and self-expression. Please do scroll on and take a minute or two to read what these lovely people have to say.
It's normal for your hair to grow longer as you get older, but for me it also changed colour. I'm still getting used to it.
My ginger hair experience has gone full circle.
When I was a very young boy, I didn't even think about the colour of my hair. Then when I got to around the age of 11 or 12 and being at school with peer pressure groups, that's when I really started to notice the colour of my hair and it being different (rare) compared to others. Other kids would make remarks and call me names such as Ginga, Minter, Ginger nut (and more), and they'd use my hair colour as a negative towards me.
It's at this age I also became more aware, within films and other media that it was always the ginger kid who was being bullied or being shown as the bad, naughty child.
As I entered my teenage years, I was very self-conscious about my hair and my complementary pasty skin. Compared to my friends who were blonde, brunette, or black haired, I had a hidden lack of confidence in myself, which derived from both the personal and societal experiences I'd had around being ginger.
When I was older and I'd go on nights out 'with the lads' I'd always (in my eyes) look like the the pasty, ginger mate in our group photos, which again hit my confidence and I even bleached the tips of my hair to try and look like a cool, surfer dude as I was trying to attract the ladies and assumed that they wouldn't be attracted to a ginger-haired man so I needed to change. As time went on, I matured (kind of) as we all do, and I gained more confidence within myself because I began to really know who I was and understand life.
I love the colour of my hair now. I have total confidence in it, and I don't care what other people think... though, of course, it is nice to have people complement me on the colour of my hair rather than being negative towards it these days.
Reflecting, I think overall growing up and getting the negative remarks actually built me up to be a stronger person today. The remarks did affect my confidence as a boy, but that allowed me to grow a much stronger mindset now and made me realise that words are just words and they only have power if we allow them to.
Today, my hair and it's colour has given me incredible opportunities and experiences in life (which sounds crazy to say but it's true), working with haircare brands, magazine work and social media opportunities.
I absolutely love having ginger hair, and so should you!
I love my hair. It’s amazing and lots of people comment on it and want to touch it. I am fine with that because they are only wanting to touch it to be kind and because they love it.
I like my hair because it is different to everyone else. If we all had the same it would be boring and it wouldn’t be special. I love my hair because people always notice it and say lovely things to me.
I have never had anyone say anything unkind to me.
I love having ginger, curly hair!
I had auburn hair growing up. I loved the colour but had different reactions from people throughout the years.
When I was little, I constantly had adults saying “Haven’t you got a lovely colour hair.” To the point that it got quite annoying! However, this was always better than what a minority of children would say! I went to primary school in the 80’s and back then I was called “ginger nut” or “carrot top” on occasions. It was never said with malice and so I was never really that bothered by it and would just ignore what was said.
At secondary school it was said in a little more of a mocking manner and consisted of “ging-a”. However it was still not that frequent and I learnt to show that it didn’t upset me. Children then stopped saying it.
As an adult people loved my colour hair and only occasionally would I get someone saying something immature which reminded me of school. This was often in the name of ‘banter’. At this point I had learnt to be confident in myself and could handle any remarks said no matter how rude or personal they would be.
I think I have been most offended when, as I grew older my hair colour became naturally darker, and people who didn’t know me as a child would think my hair was brown! I love brown hair but when you have lived as a redhead your whole life, it is sad to not be recognised as one as you get older! I now dye my hair to be as vibrant as it once was, although never being able to get to as perfect to natural as I would like!
Now, I have the pleasure of my beautiful daughter having the most vibrant ginger hair along with it being curly. We cannot go into town or out anywhere without someone complimenting her hair. People are always kind.
I have had conversations with her about how to handle unkind comments in the future and the amount of compliments she has received throughout her life so far have enabled her to have a confidence and positive self image that I hope will stay with her forever. I cannot imagine her ever disliking her hair because of the amount of kind words she has received from strangers and I hope they stay with her forever.
I love my hair it is orange and it makes me happy because its my favourite colour. I think i am rare with my special hair and blue eyes. Every one always wants to swap with me because its beautiful. Im very proud to have my hair.
I absolutely love my long wavy red hair, it's natural, it's personal and it's all mine ❤️ it's unique in its own way and I've have had amazing compliments.
I never listen to negative comments, I'm just extremely proud to be a red head and have blue eyes.
I was born and grew up in South Africa. It's fair to say that my complexion was at odds with the climate. My skin burned a lot easier than the other children and I developed quite an impressive constellation of freckles on my skin ! However, this didn't stop me from enjoying the environment I was in. We lived on the beach. I bodyboarded, I competed at junior surf lifesaving events, I collected marine fish for my tank and I scuba dived. It's interesting to see my son grow up in a completely different environment. His complexion has been less stressed by the much cooler English climate. The seasons make life very interesting for him with different sports to play and a wide variety of activities on offer. There aren't many kids with red hair in his school, but this hasn't affected his confidence. Being different is an important aspect of shaping our lives much like our experiences do.
I absolutely love my hair colour and curls that I've been blessed with, I don’t care if others don’t; I'm me and I love it 😍
Being ginger is a truly wonderful thing. You are a part of a group that is less than 2% of the world's population. It is a rarity, a blessing, a trait to be proud of. In general we should be proud of who we are. Not just about hair colour but everything about ourselves. God made us in His image and that's beautiful. My hair has a ginger tint and I love it. Wouldn't change anything about it.
I'm learning to love my hair even though some people call me ugly. I think it's better to stand out from the crowd proudly.
I like being just what I am
Hair is so important to me and such a cool and easy way in which I’m able to express myself. That being said, I do believe that hair is just hair and people should experiment as it does grow back and life is short. I love being a natural ginger and having lots of freckles. My Dad would always tell me my freckles were fairy kisses which made them that much more special. I was bullied a lot for being ginger and pale when I was growing up but now I realise how lucky I am. Being ginger is bold and not so common which I think is something really special.
Having hair of my colour means you always stand out in a crowd. This has led to some lovely interactions with strangers stopping me in random places to tell me my hair is amazing. It has also forced me to abandon my childhood dream of being a secret agent, as I’m far too conspicuous for that particular career path! A small price to pay, however, because I do love my “luscious locks” as my friends call it.
Yes I was bullied at school for being a redhead. I remember two girls putting chewing gum in my long red hair. I remember crying as the hairdresser had to cut it all out.
Now, years on I know it was never really about me. It was about them.
I love this photo. It’s very “me”. I may have flecks of grey hair now, but I’m still very much a redhead at heart.
My hair is ginger and curly and that's the way I like it. I'm the same colour as my chickens! 🐓🐓🐓
People have told me how I should feel about my hair all my life. Through my childhood, people told me I should feel grateful for such a beautiful colour. Through high school, I was told I should feel embarrassed about it. As an adult I've finally made up my own mind about it, and I love it!
There's lots of odd things about it as well- I have a higher tolerance to painkillers (any operation requires a crazy high dose of anaesthesia). Following the COVID-19 injection I had an unexpected reaction - my 20 year old tattoo suddenly started itching in places like it was brand new. My tattooist told me that she'd heard the same from other redheads, and the reaction was always to the same colour ink.
It feels like there's new things to learn about myself all the time, and a lot is thanks to my hair that will never go gray!!
I have ginger hair and I love it. Some people think having ginger hair makes you different; it doesn't, it makes you special and unique. Don't judge yourself by how you look: embrace it.
I like my hair because my mum calls me a cute little lion 🦁
My hair is strawberry blonde and I like my hair colour as it is unique ❤️
T likes his "strawberry coloured" hair! Sometimes his older brothers tease him, but generally, people always say how lovely his hair is, especially when we go to different countries where redheads are quite rare!
I hope that T will grow up to be proud of his hair and anything else about himself that makes him unique as a person.
We should all be proud of who we are and celebrate what makes us special and different from anyone else. 🧡
I like my hair colour because it isn’t plain, and it can change colour with the weather. Sometimes I feel sad that it doesn’t look like everyone else’s but my mummy tells me it looks beautiful and that makes me happy.
I’m a loud and proud Ginger! I hate hearing about young people who are bullied for their hair colour. Your hair colour is beautiful, you are beautiful.
Our beautiful red headed boy, with big blue eyes, who carries his ancestral lineage, in his own unique way. Always be proud of your roots and your point of difference.
I like having different coloured hair to most other people. Lots of people say how nice it is, so I think they all want hair like mine too.
I got my curls from my dad and my colour from my mum. My great nana had curls and the red colour just like me. Twiddling my curls makes me feel calm and I can't imagine not having them. Lots of people tell me how awesome my hair is, but it just makes me, me.
I'm from a bloodline of redheads and I'm chuffed to have passed it down to my son! I never appreciated my hair when I was young, but now that it's turning grey I long for the vibrant auburn it once was!
We love our hair because it makes us part of our long Scottish ancestry.
People often wonder how I can have such a red beard but not have the same kind of red hair up top (whatever is left of it). I always tell them how my dad had black hair with a red beard. Could be a Northern Irish thing
🤷♂️🍀😁
When I was younger, I’d say 9 or 10, I was bullied a lot for my hair colour. Calling me names like “Ginger” or “Orange head”, but as you do I ignored them. I always seemed like the ‘boring, emotionless’ redhead every one knew about. But I’m in my last year of secondary school now and I honestly couldn’t be more happy to have this hair colour! The amount of times I have been spoken to about my hair and ‘if they could have it’ , has made me realise how important it is to me! I now know that only 2% of the human population has red hair like mine and the fact that I’m blessed with it is an honour!
I love my hair colour! It changes each season & winter will see my hair darken even more.
As a young child, adults would admire my hair colour but I got teased a lot, with name calling by other children, at school. I still don’t understand why gingers get teased.
I never set out to have a matching dog. The breed choice came first, but I’m more than happy with our ‘ginger ninja’ as my family call him.
To all fellow gingers out there I say be proud & celebrate being different!
I like my red hair because:
It is unique
It is special
It makes me feel happy to know most people like my red hair
It makes me look good
It is my joy
It is my freedom
It shines for me
It’s a gift from God
It is what people look for
I love my red hair!
As a child I didn't like my red hair as I was different and I was teased, but my mother called it "golden like the sunshine".
I am the only redhead in my family. Yes, I was bullied as a child for it but it made me stronger. I grew to love my hair colour and my wild curls I've given up trying to tame them. As I got older, I realised most people love it and it's often a conversation starter. Red heads definitely stand out as there are so many beautiful shades. Mine has changed over the years; I could almost tell the weather and seasons by its colour, but it's getting darker as I get older and making way for a little grey.
Now the only person to still tease me for my hair is my younger brother, who still gets joy from sending me pictures of lions and orangutans and calling me Ginger, but that's our relationship and I've the last laugh as he’s completely grey now!
For years I hated my ginger hair, now I love it! As I get older I’m not grey, I’m blond, my freckles are ‘sun kisses’ and yes, it is natural, every last hair! 😬 I’m an independent, strong, sassy woman, proud of my roots and proud to be a red head 💪🧡
E's mum: I love having a red headed daughter. As someone who is naturally ginger, I dyed my hair for years. Seeing her makes me want to go back to my natural colour! Everyone comments how lovely her hair is. I hope she grows up to love her hair & never dye it! 🧡
I LOVE my hair colour because it’s the same colour as the red arrow planes and also only 2% of people in the world have red hair so that makes me especially awesome!
B's mum says: "B came into this world with a head full of red hair. We always get compliments about his hair colour and I'll be teaching him to be proud of his uniqueness"
Mum says: I always hated my red hair growing up and would often be teased at school. Once I was old enough I would dye my hair to hide it and did this for many years. I then met my husband, and my perception changed. I started to embrace my natural hair colour and now i love it. We have been blessed with two gorgeous red headed boys, and often refers to ourselves as the Weasleys from Harry Potter 😊. We want them to love their hair colour and remember it's unique, individual and beautiful.
I have never been ashamed of my ginger locks and I never will be; I’ll be showing them off til I die.
Being a ginger hasn’t always been as cool as it is now; when growing up I certainly didn’t think I would be an auburn lover, nor someone who receives compliments on their hair. Having some unsavoury comments has done nothing but make me love the skin I’m in more as an adult, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I LOVE my red hair because I feel rare to the world and different.
When I was younger, I did experience some bullying for my red hair and for a long time I hated it. But as I've got older, I'm now proud to be a redhead and it makes me stand out from the crowd!
Growing up I used to be quite angry over being bullied for my hair; I never understood why I was teased for it. But I wouldn't change it for anything now! As I got older and started travelling I saw how differently red hair is seen around the world, from people staring at it to complimenting it to being stopped in the street and asked for a photo! I was even frequently compared to Rameses The Great whilst in Egypt!
I haven't always liked having ginger hair, but now I think it's okay to be different. I do my best to ignore people's negative comments as I am who I am and wouldn't want to change that.
MC1R - A gene mutation,
Passed down through my bloodline,
Generation to generation,
A genetic rarity, just 2% of the population.
For thousands of years, stories were told,
Of fiery, witches, born without a soul,
Accumulating freckles for every soul that we stole.
Science says we're stronger,
more capable of handling pain,
But we need more aneasthic,
It doesn't work on us the same,
Our production of vitamin D is superior,
And we're better at sensing a change in the temperature.
A pale, mixed black and white, ginger girl with an afro,
A target for childhood bullies to have a go,
But I was born with superpowers;
Just so that you know;
It's a ginger thing.
The high will always outweigh any low.
I was lucky growing up because my sister & I were the only redheads in our family generation, taking after our maternal Grandmother & Great-Aunt and our red hair was celebrated. I believe this helped make me resilient to the name calling because of this positive input from a young age.
Although I did hate my hair as a teenager-not for the colour but for the curls. Everyone had straight hair!
Now I love being curly red and standing out from the crowd. Acknowledging other fellow reds in our special red club!
Growing up mixed race all them years ago,
With afro ginger hair and freckles head to toe,
I was an oddity to the big wide world,
Irregularities that my body just held.
I questioned my heritage, culture too,
I questioned my identity a lot, for who.
Inner demons trained and accepted,
Firey red-hair proud and unaffected.
Compliments came and confidence grew,
I'm so proud of young me if only you knew!
It took until my 20s to really appreciate my natural hair in colour and curls. I often get positive comments on my look and have grown to adore the difference in my appearance. I think we all want different hair or looks when we are younger, so I dyed it and straightened it. I wouldn't change the colour at all now though.
From an early age I did not like the colour of my hair.
Having red hair made me different.
But I grew to love it.
Now, with age, it has changed colour but to me I still see that beautiful shade of red and I'm proud to say I'm a redhead.
I am a natural redhead or strawberry blonde’. I actually love the colour of my natural hair. I am blonde at the moment but already thinking of going back! My boys have got beautiful red hair too and I love it!!
I don’t mind my hair colour, people at school tease and call me Ed Sheeran; I wish I was as rich as him!
I’m GINGER and orange is my favourite colour
For me being a redhead has been an important part of life. Since I was a teenager, friends have given me all sorts of nicknames, ginger, ginge, ginger man, ginger kid and copper top to name a few. I even answer to these today. These were all terms of endearment and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m a ginge and proud.
From growing up dying my hair blonde, in adult life I have learnt to embrace and love my natural colouring now, to the point where I now enhance it.
I love having ginger hair. I love the way it shines in the sun. Strangers often compliment me and say how lucky I am to have ginger hair. This makes me feel good and I am proud to be ginger. My hair is naturally straight and this is the first time it has ever been curled and I love it! My Dad is ginger too and we both embrace it (although he didn't want his photo taken 😂).
When I was younger my red hair and freckles made me stand out, which I hated. Now I'm older, I appreciate the uniqueness and I'm always happy to hear people admire the colour!
Over the years and seasons my hair has changed shape and shades. I’ve learned to love its uniqueness and have learned that we all carry beauty. Sometimes we don’t see it ourselves, but there’s always someone who will remind us of how beautiful (inside and outside) we truly are. Let’s be that person.
I see being ginger as a superpower, we are a mutated gene and we are magical beings 🧡 I feel extremely blessed to be a redhead and love every single one of my freckles too 😁
Always liked having ginger hair. It also runs through my family, which makes me feel proud, I embrace my red curly hair. Being out and about I always get asked questions and told compliments.
I've loved being ginger and red skinned since i can remember. I’m half Irish, half Jamaican and I have ginger relatives on both sides of my family, so embracing the redness came naturally. There’s something special about ginger people - we’re less than 2% of the world population and it’s a recessive gene - I love the rarity that comes along with it. A special shout out to all of my ginger kings and queens out there - embrace the beauty.
I loved growing up ginger with freckles an also mixed raced! I was always taught to embrace it from a early age... the only downside is I'm easily recognized 😅
My 2 red headed daughters have 2 blonde sisters and a blonde mum and a red headed dad and big brother and they love that we have team red head and team blonde in the house.
I love my red hair. I’m left handed too so together this makes me super unique which I like.
I like my orange hair very much; I like that it looks red when it’s wet in the bath. I would really like to have it rainbow though!
I genuinely believe my hair is like a separate entity with its own personality! It is a savage beast that refuses to be managed. It is disorderly, disobedient and rebellious! It never looks the same on any given day, and I have tried, by straightening it, pulling it and coercing it to behave; alas, all in vain.
As a child, my hair was blonde, but as I grew up, it turned into a coppery colour. I disliked its colour and curls, so I resorted to ironing it and bleached it. However, my hair always fought back, especially in the rain, and the curls would spring back to life. Eventually, my evil nemesis decided we had to break up, or I had to give in to its demands, and I knew I had lost the battle.
In reality, I believe my hair is a strawberry blonde colour, but it appears redder in pictures. I blame my Jacobite ancestors for my hair’s rebellious nature as their motto was “go with great daring,” which my hair seems to have taken to heart.
I can’t say that I love my hair, but I have accepted that I am helpless with this great mop. I even sleep with a silly Victorian bonnet to keep my curls in place, and every morning, it's a surprise to see what kind of day my hair has in store for me!
When I was at school I had a pretty hard time having red hair. It seems like such a cliche to pick on the ginger kid, but it still happens. As I've grown older I've really fallen in love with it and I'm so grateful that it's part of me. Now I'm in my 40s I'm starting to see the first sprinkling of grey hair and it makes me feel sad to think it won't be this vibrant forever.
I never wanted to just be the same as everyone else and wanted to stand out and having red hair was the first way I could do it!
It brought and can sometimes still bring negativity from others, especially when playing sport, but I would not change my hair colour for the world!
Be proud of who you are, in whichever way and stand out from the crowd! Its better than just blending in 😀
My hair is orange because of my daddy.
I've always loved my red hair and I've never felt insecure about it regardless of teasing. I've considered dyeing it for fun, but I don't I'll ever find a colour that would suit me better than my natural hair!!
Redheads have been vilified for years, I think stemming from the large numbers of Irish immigrants to the UK since late 19th century. They were the butt of jokes and prejudiced against (and still are!) However, I am proud to have red hair and I’m proud of my Irish ancestry. There have been powerful red headed women throughout history; Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. I like to think that I am descended from Boudicca!
I love my hair. It's red, curly & so unique.
I receive lots of lovely compliments, almost daily and there is always someone drawn to touching my hair.
Being a red head is something to be proud of and I certainly am.
Hello, my name is H and I can be very shy.
I like my red hair and people (usually grown ups) often comment on it as it has a lot of different tones.
I love Harry Potter and my favourite character is Ginny Weasley, I dressed up like her for World Book Day this year at school - I think I look a bit like her!
My hair makes me feel cute. It reflects the sun so it makes me feel like my hair is in front of me when it isn't. I also like that it has golden bits in it.
I have always embraced being a red head, coupled with my Heterochromia it has really set me apart from the crowd. I hope my daughter grows up to love herself and if she’s lucky enough to have her red hair, then to love herself even more
I used to be a lot more of a ginger as a teenager than I am now, and before you ask, NO, I’ve not dyed my hair! I’m not sure why I’ve lost my “ gingerness” but on reflection, I think I miss it. As a Welshman, the red hair was part of my culture and identity, but alas, no more 🙁
Growing up as a redhead was an interesting experience and had equal good and bad experiences as, despite being made fun of by my peers when I was younger, I also found I received a large number of compliments on my hair colour (usually from adults). When I was younger I didn’t particularly like my hair colour and always wished I was a blonde or brunette. This led to me dying my hair multiple times, despite being constantly advised not to by the adults around me. Over time I’ve grown to absolutely love the colour of my hair and think it’s one of the things that makes me me and makes me stand out
I’ve definitely had a love hate journey with my hair over the past 21 years!
Growing up I hated being different and hated standing out, I would often think about changing and dying my hair - I think ‘ginger to blonde hair’ it was my most googled search!
Since going to university I’ve really embraced my natural colour and learnt to love it, it’s a huge part of my personality! I now wouldn’t change it for the world.
I love my hair because it's like a rainbow as it shines in different colours. I love wearing it in a plait like Elsa.
Being ginger is normal to me so I forget all about it until someone tells me that my hair is special; it makes me so happy and makes me feel unique.
Growing up in South Africa, there weren’t many other red heads, it wasn’t common at all.
People would always comment on or exclaim how pretty it was. My Mom says that when I was a baby, she would get stopped so many times in the shops (I was also very small) by people admiring the tiny ginger baby.
I was never teased about my red hair, it wasn’t a thing at all. Recently, I donated 14 inches so that someone else can enjoy it as much as I do! Being Ginger is a super power, especially with blue eyes too.
I’ve always loved being ginger, especially in my adulthood. It’s nice to be a bit different despite the fact that I can’t handle the sun very well!
I haven't always been a fan of my ginger hair with time in school being made rather difficult because of it, I never quite understood the jokes.. - but now, at 21, I would not want to change my hair at all I love having a unique hair colour. However, I just wish I faired a little better in the sun...!
Everyone’s always commented on how cool my hair is 🙌🏻🙌🏻
S's mum says: I often get stopped by strangers to say how much they love his hair. He always gives them a cheeky smile to say thanks.
Having orange hair has always been seen as a positive thing in my family, my Dad, Nana and Aunt all have it!
I have always been surprised about how much attention my red hair gets, sometimes bad, but fortunately mostly good! I like how unusual my red hair is; it’s what makes me me, and I wouldn’t change it.
Over the past 24 years it’s been a love and hate relationship with my hair, first you hate it all, then you don’t mind the colour but hate the curls, then you love it all. Growing up was only compliments from your family or the older generation, when you’re out and about with your grandparents, but as you grow up and start to realise it’s just what it is and it makes you who you are, you’ll soon love it.
When I was younger I wanted nothing more than to fit in, but as I’ve grown up I’ve embraced the uniqueness of my red hair and blue eyes. I love my natural curls and colour!
Growing up with red hair, freckles and blue eyes was a blessing. Made me feel unique and contributed to my personality. I had a friend who also had red hair and freckles, we were drawn to each other through our appearances. Although I did experience name calling because of my looks, it never bothered me as I was happy with the way I looked. The world would be a bland place if we all looked the same!
I'd be lying if I said I was a proud ginger in my teenage years. It just wasn't cool and didn't make you popular! Especially, as all I wanted was a tan!! Over the years I have learned to let it not define me and to embrace my colouring!!
Of course having hair straighteners and fake tan were a game changer!!
I love the colour of my hair and how long it is because I get lots of compliments. I also love all the freckles but don’t like sunburn.
I love the colour of my hair but didn’t like it when I was younger when older people would come up to me and stroke my hair.
Dad: Having bright ginger/red hair when I was born was a shock to the family as there was no trace of any other family members with a similar colour. Our local milkman had red hair so the local neighbourhood rumours that the milkman was my father brought horror to my saintly Christian mother!!
Bright ginger headed children were a rarity, so I received the usual nicknames from my peers at school. – Ginger Knob – Rusty – Ginge etc. I didn’t excel at anything particular during my growing years, so in a strange sort of way, standing out in the crowd with ginger hair gave me a welcome status amongst my peers that I might not have otherwise received! The colour of my hair was never an embarrassment to me, but I didn’t like the follow on of having millions of freckles during the summer months!!
I have always enjoyed female company, so when a pretty young lady came along with ginger hair, I always made a mental note to check her out!! There was one ginger headed girl in senior school called Sylvia Logan who caught my attention, but sadly I never caught hers!!
However, I had better luck at college where I met a wonderful ginger headed young lady called Cecilia who immediately attracted my attention. Fortunately, the feeling was mutual and the rest you may say is history!! Sadly, in advancing years, my ginger-coloured hair has faded to white, but interestingly, when I shave, the whiskers from my shaver when blown away, is still my old colour…. that gives me comfort of my passed youth!!
Twin 1: I used to be teased for my red hair when I was young, often being called ‘Duracell, the copper coloured top’, after the battery manufacturer. However, I’ve learned over the years to embrace my red hair, and now I love it, despite the old grey hair coming through.
Mum: When I grew up, redheads were considered to be fiery and quick tempered. Where that reputation came from I don’t know but people were very wary of you. I was neither I’m happy to say.
Twin 2: Having red hair as a teenager and being a twin, who also had red hair naturally attracted unwanted attention and name calling. It hurt at the time, but over the years I have learnt to embrace the uniqueness of both and now celebrate, enjoy and have fun being different.
Brother: I love my hair colour. I am on the blonder side of ginger/redhead, ‘tis true, but always appreciated being part of a redheaded clan, and the ginger flecks I have been able to pass down to my predominantly dark haired children.
Growing up I got the odd name calling but always turned it to a positive and owned the fact I was “a ginger”, even using it as my gaming name as a teen when computer games became a thing online! Now I’m getting older it even does a cracking job of disguising the grey!
M: I like my ginger hair because of all the different shades of red you can see in the sunshine
N: I like being a ginge because my pain threshold is high which is handy when playing football
I have always been proud to be a ginger (or Titian which is my shade of ginger). My family did have a hard time coming to terms with me being the first ginger in the family though. When I was born, my aunt picked me up at the hospital and said to my mum, “you know what, I think she might be a ginger”. My mum looked at her straight and said “don’t be so ridiculous.” Burn bright, gingers !
As my ammonite necklace suggests I am fascinated with natural history and the wonders of nature. I am so appreciative of how special auburn hair is, a stunning colour created by nature that (as many hair dresses tell me) we cannot create artificially, yet we can put a man on the moon! Nothing is as wondrous as what nature provides.
My experience with red hair has not been without speed bumps, but has also not been the stereotypical bullying case one may assume. There were times as a teen where my crush would remind me that I’d have a chance “if only I wasn’t a ginger”, which admittedly stung, though didn’t hurt in the long term. The biggest part about my time as ‘a ginger’ that I have taken away from it, setting aside the odd South Park reference, would be the uniqueness. Being part of a low percentage population that share similar stories about being young and not quite fitting in, but also not finding it hard to make friends. For every insult that came my way, there was more people wanting to just make friends with the hot tempered red hair kid with freckles. Granted I am not in the club with those who have blue eyes and light coloured eye lashes (that sort of ginger), which I guess made it easier for me, and now with my hair getting increasingly darker, I am still very proud to be part of the family. And yes, we DO have souls.
My experience as a redhead has actually been quite smooth sailing. Growing up, very rarely experienced name-calling or people trying to take the mick, probably because they were too scared to! 😂 I love my coloring, and apparently, the old ladies do too... always get compliments on my hair from the elderly, and it's at those times I remember I'm a redhead. Otherwise, I never think about it.