Red head stereotypes enhance advertising

Australian advertising agencies are apparently taking advantage of the stereotypes associated with red heads and using ginger children in marketing campaigns.

Mostly Kids Model Agency and Academy owner Liz Philippou said consumers were led to believe redheads depict "certain individuality, fiery temper traits, sharp tongues, determination and mischievousness".

"When an advertising campaign features a redheaded child, it sends a message of that same determination," she said.

"(It) catches the eye and holds you, pondering the possibility of the redhead being an absolute little devil, and then considering the product they're associated with."

Advertisers cash in on redhead appeal

Root Ginger exhibition review

The Evening Standard has the first review of Root Ginger, the exhibition by Jenny Wicks running now and up to 1st March 2009.

Making a mockery of the term “redhead”, the palette forms a glorious autumnal swatch, while the distribution of pigment is fascinating: sometimes, a single tone appears to have leached from hair into skin and gathered in small puddles as freckles.

Walking among these portraits has the air of a scientific sampling, like a Victorian survey. And in some ways it is; Wicks’s fascination is as much with the journey of the ginger gene as with photography as art — and that element is just as striking as the show’s value as an exquisite portrait collection.

Read the review

Will gingers become extinct?

Retired professor John Brock takes a lighthearted look at the widely held belief that red heads will soon be extinct.

As genetic science progressed with the deciphering of the human genome (whatever that is), modern scientists now doubt that red hair is on the way out. But Oxford Hair Foundation declared a few years ago that redheads were headed for the way of the dinosaurs. Their conclusion lost some of its steam when it was finally revealed that the group was funded by Procter & Gamble — a major purveyor of hair dye.

Source: The Post and Courier

Being ginger's been the making of us

Ann McFerran discusses the gingerism her children have encountered throughout their lives and how they feel about being red heads today. Particularly interesting is the distinctive difference between Canadian and British reactions to red hair.

When we returned to the UK, there wasn't much let-up, only instead of admiration, those who stared and shouted names at my son because of his hair were mostly other children. Copper knob, ginger nut, carrot top, Duracell, ginger ninja; the names were not particularly inventive and, with the exception of the latter, didn't seem to have changed since I was a child. “I was probably oversensitive to the names,” admits Patrick, 30.

I now think that I wasn't sensitive enough to my son or aware enough of the kind of routine bullying that is regularly meted out to gingers, and particularly to young gingers whose hair colour is at its most extreme. I may even have exacerbated the problem: I thought my son's hair was such a spectacular colour that I let it grow quite long to show it off.

Source: Times Online

A ginger Prime Minister?

Writer Anne McElvoy pontificates on a week of news and spares a thought for gingerism, prompted by the opening of Jenny Wicks' Root Ginger exhibition.

Red hair gets the praise it deserves in a new exhibition devoted to gingerism. I am unsure as to what qualifies, having faded to something you might politely call strawberry blonde, or what my son described as "dirty light brown", down the years. But you never really forget early years' membership of the ginger club with the pleasure of standing out in a crowd. Or the pain of being too strikingly visible to teachers looking for someone to blame. Catherine Tate, Simon Heffer, Mick Hucknall and Tilda Swinton, you know what I mean. But can we yet envisage a ginger Prime Minister?

Source: Evening Standard

He's ginger, he would melt

Jimmy Carr on Prince Harry going to Basra.



Thanks to Gingerism.com reader Phillip Parr for reporting this.

Root Ginger Exhibition receives wide coverage

The Root Ginger Exhibition, due to open Tuesday 17th February has received wide coverage by the British press this week. The BBC hosted a discussion of gingerism with psychologist Anjula Mutanda and Root Ginger model and poet Richard Tyrone Jones. Most poignant in the discussion is Anjula Mutanda's strongly emphasized opinion of the existence of gingerism.

The fact is, if it hurts somebody's feelings and it's discriminating against them, making them feel bad about themselves, then it has to stop and not be seen as innocuous.

Secondly, the Daily Mail have covered the event, with many photographic examples from the exhibition and quotes from the models, including the following:

I had to grow fast as my mother's reaction to being told her first born was a ginger was to weep uncontrollably.

The quote reminds me of my own mother, who once told me "I didn't like ginger hair until you were born."

National Adoption Society: Does child carry red hair gene?

An official National Adoption Society form asked if the child considered for adoption carried the recessive gene that causes red hair. The form, used as late as 1976 asked "Is there any red hair in the family?".

The question is found within a section of the form detailing the child's appearance and personality and is below a separate question asking for the hair colour of the child.

The National Adoption Society operated from London and closed in 1986.

Max Barry on gingerism

Australian author Max Barry recounts the offense he caused to his brother by publishing a gingerism fuelled article late last year.

I got into big trouble with my brother for that anti-ginger blog. “You’re just like Hitler,” he said, or might as well have. “It’s not 1935, you know. Demonizing people for aspects of their appearance they can’t control: we’re not doing that any more.”

“Steady on,” I protested. “It was just harmless good fun. Besides, the point was I’m a ginger when I grow a moustache. That’s what made it funny.”

“I suppose you think Auschwitz would have been fine, if only Hitler was Jewish,” my brother argued, more or less. “I suppose you think it would have been hilarious.”

Read more: The Dark Moustache of the Soul

Youth Unlimited Magazine on ginger phobia

The UK has one of the highest population percentages of redheads in the world, but words like ‘ginger’ and ‘ginga’ still roll off the tongue towards those gifted with this follicle rarity. Is it all just a bit of red-blooded fun or has Britain got ginger phobia?

The persecution of those with red, auburn or ginger hair is not a modern condition and has persisted throughout history and around the world. Just as often as redheads have been discriminated against they have also been upheld and praised. Socially, redheads have been stereotyped as being fiery, hot tempered and overtly sexual, and although it is clear that the way we act is not attributed to hair colour, history’s most famous ‘gingers’ have helped to promote these ideas.

As early as the ancient Egyptians there is evidence of Cleopatra dying her hair red, continuing to impress redheaded stereotypes upon all those aware of her volatile nature and political prowess. A more recent and recognisable redhead is our own home grown Queen Elizabeth I who popularised red hair throughout 16th Century Britain. Even modern media has been affected by the recent influx of redheaded style icons such as Lily Cole, Axl Rose and Nicola Roberts inspiring people across the world to reach for the dye bottle.

However, whilst many famous redheads have inspired us, the everyday redhead on the street still faces some ridiculous and shocking challenges. In 2003 a 20 year old was stabbed in the back for being ‘ginger’ and in 2007 a family of redheads in Newcastle were forced to move home after being targeted by neighbours for their hair colour. In a world preoccupied with political correctness and protecting the rights of people regardless of race, age or size, it is shocking to see a form of discrimination such as this overlooked by organisations like the Commission for Racial Equality, even though most people with red hair will experience anything from timid taunts to full blown violence throughout their lifetime.

The question is why are people with red hair targeted? The simple truth is that only 1 to 2% of the population is born with red hair, making them a minority. Throughout history society has victimised minorities. In other words, we, on a subconscious level, fear what is different and will victimise those who are different in any way to make ourselves feel better. As well as this, the victimisation and discrimination of redheads is still a crime largely beyond the reach of the law and until such time as it is recognised as unacceptable it will continue to be an issue.

Hate shouldn’t be a follicle matter and only we can stand up for the rights of those different to us, not just redheads but anyone who is born a little different to the norm - and isn’t everyone in their own way a little different? If we were all the same life would be horrifically boring so why not praise the differences between us? Red hair is rare and beautiful and anyone who targets those with it are most likely expressing a form of jealousy or, at the very least, showing that they have low self esteem that can only be improved by attempting to bring others down. So next time you go to use the ‘G’ word ask yourself, have I got ginger phobia?

Amy Solman

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