You know I have to take notice of information about people not adoring redheads as we deserve, so I sat right up to gaze upon this Sociological Images post.
The ads shown seem amusing to me, if somewhat mean, but apparently 'gingerism' is a real problem in the United Kingdom. The post mentions a number of recorded incidents, including "a stabbing, a family who has had to move twice after their children were bullied, a woman who won a sexual harassment suit after being targeted for her red hair, and a boy who committed suicide after being teased relentlessly."*
Yikes.
Here I thought it was all sunshine and bright red roses, being favored with my awesome, awesome hair genes.
I mean, I know it hasn't always been true. Anne (of Green Gables fame) lamented her red hair all the time. Pippi Longstocking was like a much-needed counter to the negative impressions.
And there's the whole "beat you like a redheaded stepchild" line. And there's that rumor about how 'Ancient Greeks' believed that redheads turned into vampires after death, although I've never seen any citation for this claim (but given the general coolness of vampires right now, that would only make me even more awesome, especially if I could toss on some sparkles).
*They cite this Wikipedia article, which, at the time I looked at it, also contains a wealth of other interesting information.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment