Romseyredhead

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Ginger Prejudice

What have people got against redheads?

My hair was a much brighter red as a child and it was a character forming experience. I was called numerous names - ginger, gingernut, carrots, carrot top being the more polite and repeatable and I can remember babysitting once and breakfasting with the family the next morning. The little girl turned to her dad and asked, "Daddy, why is Sandy's hair orange?" Father was mortified and couldn't think what to say although "Some people have orange hair" would have been a perfectly adequate answer.

As an adult I have grown to like the colour of my hair and I am amazed when people think it is perfectly OK to be rude about it. I am not alone because there is a web site devoted to the subject. I suspect I have a bit of viking ancestry because my maiden name was Rawson and my parents hailed from the east coast of England.

Come the single equalities act I think I would like to outlaw an extra form of prejudice!!