What does this poll really tell us? It may tells us that if your a redheaded person being bullied for your red hair there is likely a lot of potential support for you as a redhead facing what can and has been described as a form of legitimised prejudice and discrimination, called 'Gingerism'. I'd like to think that what many of these voters believe and are simply saying is don't dye your hair, because it's unlikely to be a worthwhile strategy in stopping the gingerism.
For those who are victims of gingerism you are certainly not alone. The salongeek.com has a lengthy thread on 'redhead bullying', and there's a good supportive series of comments concerning this very topic on a facebook thread aswell... check them out.
If your being bullied for your red hair what steps have you taken so far to stop the bullying?
IF YOUR A JP, PRIMARY, MIDDLE OR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT:
Seek help! Gingerism is an issue faced by many redhead adults as well as younger people. There is never shame in asking for help!
Have you spoken with friends, teachers, parents/guardians, school counsellor's about the gingerism? Each of these people can give you advice on how best to deal with or handle the bully or bullies.
If your not comfortable with speaking with any of the above people for any reason, such us fear that those people may make things worse or may not or are not listening, then seek the use of a counsellor from any reputable help-line or counselling chat-line. Make sure the advice your being given on these lines is professionally driven, not just some online blogger who has no idea or experience. These help-lines and chat-lines can often be anonymous and/or confidential.
One strategy to tackle one bully or group of bullies may not work with the next bully or group of bullies. Don't stop trying out different strategies. Don't stop gaining advice. Whether you take the advice given to you or not, often advice can help you spark your own strategies to tackle the bullying. Always consider and find ways to become aware of the possible risks involved in each action you take to tackle the bullying.
IF YOUR EXPERIENCING GINGERISM IN THE WORKPLACE:
Seek help! Gingerism is an issue faced by many redhead adults as well as younger people. There is never shame in asking for help!
Become aware of your workplace harassment policies and follow them to the letter, ensure you make accurate and clear records. Never retaliate to the harassment and ensure that the person harassing you is aware that their harassment is unwelcome.
Explore all your options from simply asking the discrimination or prejudice of gingerism to be rectified or stop through to any possible legal action. Knowing your rights and options does give you a sense of being empowered and can sometimes be enough for you to stop any official complaint or process. Always consider and find ways to become aware of the possible risks involved in each action you take to tackle the discrimination or prejudice of gingerism.
One strategy to tackle one form of discrimination or prejudice may not work with the next form of discrimination or prejudice. Don't stop trying out different strategies. Don't stop gaining advice. Whether you take the advice given to you or not, often advice can help you spark your own strategies to tackle the discrimination or prejudice. Always consider and find ways to become aware of the possible risks involved in each action you take to tackle the discrimination or prejudice.
ISSUES WITH FINDING HELP:
Because gingerism is a form of legitimised discrimination and prejudice it can often be difficult for many redheads to seek help, due to the person or authority they are seeking help from seeing that there is nothing harmful or that it is less-harmful to harass a redhead for being a redhead. Some people may even laugh at gingerism even being used in a sentence. Keep looking for strategies to have the bullying stop... DO NOT retaliate, it will often make things worse.
What do I mean by 'legitimised prejudice and discrimination'? Its a form or harassment and social exclusion that the majority of people within your peer group, school, workplace or community feel is un-harmful or less-harmful prejudice or discrimination, and hence ok.
IF YOUR CONSIDERING DYING YOUR HAIR BECAUSE OF GINGERISM:
'IF' you have tried everything you can to stop the discrimination against you and I mean everything within your power to stop the gingerism your experiencing... you know your situation better than anyone, and if you are 100% sure that dying your hair will help at all, then do it. Dying your hair is (as hard as it is for me to contemplate) a potential short-term strategy to stop gingerism. Dye fades so even if you do regret it, the change is not permanent. At the very least the dying of your hair will demand the attention of many around you as to the extent of the gingerism you are experiencing.
By no means would I say that redheads should not dye their hair at all, like a similar poll running on pollsb.com entitled 'Should famous redheads who color their hair be considered as traitors?' suggests. Interestingly though, on the general question, should redheads dye their hair? The thread responses in general is still exceedingly NO!
Yet, according to Harper's Bazzar going darker is a recent celebrity trend. There is certainly no shortage of redheads who have dyed their hair. Some redheads enjoy highlights, others dye it outright and many regretted it...
“Cheryle wroteon February 20, 2009 at 5:30pm...Some redheads have dyed their hair and not looked back . Some redheads just want a change, but cant manage it...
Hey It took me twenty 3 yrs to appreciate my natural beauty, Sadly being a red head comes with lots of teasing and standing out. as a kid you start to think you hate being different because of all the teasing.I couldn't wait till i could dye my hair blond and look like all the pretty girls who didn't get teased or comments about their hair.
Also as you get older the colour darkens and is far less red or orange, Guess this makes it better, and adults accept you as you are, they don't make nasty comments that children do,
Since I stoped dying my hair I love it, I laugh at the stupid pictures of me trying to be the same they don't look right..... ha ha.
Now I am with Jennifer I only add extra red highlights or foils just to add some extra depth to my colour, every now and then some blond ,only foils though would never take away from my red.... It's who I am.”
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081006233737AAomT3W
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070910170714AAt0QXI
...Some redheads believe they simple cant colour their hair, fearing some unpredictable pinks and greens. Some people want the crazy unpredictable colours with a red look. One things for sure that “red hair is one of the most sought-after shades...”... and the bottle redhead threads just go on and on.
Some people object to people attempting to dye their hair red entirely, believing: ginger its a state of mind...
“Sorry, but it is not possible to 'dye your hair ginger' because ginger is not a colour. You can dye your hair a nice copper tone or some kind of auburn hue, but you'll never have the hot coals burning at the pit of your stomach from being born with the look of the fox about you.”OR...
“1. You will VERY RARELY meet a natural redhead that is cocky, petty or mean.The older redheads among us are desperate to hold on to their red hair as it fades. If your an older redhead vogue.com.au has some tips for you.
2. You will VERY RARELY meet a natural redhead that does not have a confidence problem, no matter how deep down we learn to bury it.
3. You will VERY RARELY meet a natural redhead that is openly sexually promiscuous or that dresses or acts as if their sexuality is what defines them.
4. Natural redheads MOST OFTEN have more of a shy tendency about them.”
Apparently some people feel that they need to ask why 'ugly' girls dye one section of their hair red.
“Jaymz Hetfield dun....DUN DUN DUNI guess some people don't deserve to be called people. Some people just simply wish that if you want to dye your hair... do it properly as they attempt to stop the 'proliferation of bad hair jobs' asking of us: have you asked the right questions?
Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 565
I think this has a lot to do with redheads just being naturally ugly creatures. These ugly non-redheads associate their ugliness with the ugliness present in all the redheads they have seen....so they choose to complete the ugly costume by dying part of their hair red. Why they choose to only dye one section of the hair red, is anyone's guess.”
So that's I'm sure more than my two cents on the poll.
ABOUT NATE:
I am a redhead who was bullied and/or has faced gingerism throughout my schooling from pre-school through to university and still in my everyday life. I am university trained with a degree in new media art and design with a post-graduate degree in education. I am yet to have a great deal of teaching experience having only recently graduated. I constantly read academic peer reviewed articles of bullying and cyber-bullying and have taken a great interest in possibly undertaking academic research on school and workplace bullying with a specific focus on redheads.CONTACT NATE @ monkeyseemonkeydo80@gmail.com
To read ALL of Nate's articles click the label/tag 'Nate'
3 comments:
There were quite a few stereotypical views expressed in responses. 90% of women dye their hair, for a change, for fashion, to cover grey I don't know that a definitive answer was revealed by the poll. If 90% of women and many men too dye their hair why do so many think it is important to keep mentioning hair colour or that hair colour makes you who you are. I am not a hair colour. My hair is not who I am. I could lose it all tomorrow and I would still be me. I love my colour but I got it like I got my toenails and they don't make me who I am. I can cut my hair like I cut my toenails and it doesn't hurt a bit. Thats why I resent and am offended by the belief that hair colour is all I am and that it makes a statement about me. I am not shy I'm a loudmouth but you can only fight one person at a time and they never come at you one at a time - it's a mob thing.
Anonymous, we're not defined totally by one part of our identity. Hair colour, like skin colour is a part of our identity and for me, they're both a part of my racial identity.
I copied this from my own blog AkA The gingerism rant
I am a natural red head, I got bulled all the way through school because of it. I got called "gingerr" OK, big deal I'm strawberry blonde (i am actually strawberry blonde), why am i supposed to feel bad about it!!!!!! why are you making me feel bad about it!!!.
OK! so at one point in my life I dyed it brunette, emo/goth black, Hayley William's pressure music vid red, then back to brunette, and then auburn, becuase my hair had enough of the dye, even though to my hair dressers shock of it being in quite healthy condition. so now I'm letting it have a rest and its now coming through as my natural hair colour.
One of the reasons i dyed my hair was to stop myself from being bullied!!! what is the point of calling us 'ginger' last time i checked a ginger is a root and is a pale yellow/ creamy colour. and ' ginger nut' uh hello you don't find us on the shelf of the biscuit section. whats with 'carrot top'? are you colour blind? last time i checked the top of a carrot was green!!!!
Then you get all these myths about red head's being the devils spawn. righhhttt paranoid much!!!
so anyway all the hair colours (apart from the two red's) made me look like a ghost, and have no eyebrows (because they were too blonde, and i could be arsed to tint them)
the only hair colour thats suites a red head is red hair
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Im still quite shy and still dont feel great about having red hair, i hope the bulling doesnt start again. but i have just learned to except it.
the only thing that annoys me though is when celebrites dye there hair a natural red colour as a fashion statement, they dont know what its like to be bullied or go throught what we had to
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