How ‘Gingerism’ Changed my Life for the Better
Gingerism is a term I came across term semi-recently when the human troll, Katie Hopkins decided to earn herself a little more press coverage by claiming that ‘ginger babies are much harder to love’.
Her statement was not a shock to me, if I am honest – because for years I have heard of expectant parents who, when asked ‘what sex are you hoping for’, say they don’t care what sex their child is as long as they aren’t ginger. I’ve heard of couples who were unable to have children of their own, put themselves through the emotional roller coaster that is the adoption service application process, just to turn down a baby offered to them because he or she was ginger! I have even heard of people likening ginger hair to being physically disabled!
Let us be honest here, do you know of anyone who really wanted their child to be born flame haired and pale skinned? I certainly didn’t. Nope, not me. Hands up, I admit it. But I have very good reason to have not wanted my children to be born a red head.
I was born as ginger as it’s possible to be; Bright ginger hair, pale skin, hazel coloured eyes and covered head to toe in freckles by age 4. I was the true epitome of ‘Annie’, and my Lordy, was I made painfully aware of it throughout my school years.
Year after painful year I was banished to the side-lines of the school disco because apparently ‘gingers eat souls’ (thanks for that one, South Park), and if anyone got too close my ‘fire crotch’ would set them on fire (really).
Boys were immediately sickened if they caught the slightest whiff that I was attracted to them, and children would regularly ask me if I had eaten too many carrots. It was seen as ‘okay’ by the faculty that I took the brunt of the name calling and shirt pulling, because it meant children weren’t teasing other children for their race or skin colour. If they’re teasing a ginger, then that’s ‘fair game’.
Even my friends would affectionately call me ‘Ginga’ when I decided I’d had enough of fighting the taunting and ironically take back the name that I was called in spite.
Does ‘Gingerism’ exist? The very clear and simple answer is, yes it does. Teachers and support staff, in my experience and opinion do nothing to prevent teasing towards a child that has ginger hair. It is simply not taken as seriously as racism or prejudice towards religion, disability or sexuality.
Why isn’t it taken as seriously? In some cases, and indeed my own case, I was physically attacked for the simple reason that I was ‘ginger’. I was left out of social groups, and I was verbally abused day after day for something that was largely out of my control. Is that not the very definition of prejudice? Why are we allowing society to attack children with red hair, just because they have red hair?
You may be forgiven for thinking that I’m a little ‘touchy’ when it comes to the subject of ‘Gingerism’, but the truth is everything changed for me when I turned 17. I was a country-level swimmer, a kick boxer, on a pretty decent female football team, played netball for county, a gymnast, and on every school sports team that was available to me. Due of a lack of male distractions in my teens, I had aced all of my A Levels and was on my way to a top-end university.
I had a pretty decent figure, brains, didn’t take myself too seriously, and had an abnormally thick skin that was trained to knock back insults with witty backhanded banter. Suddenly, I went from being ‘ginger’, to being a ‘red head’.
Suddenly, I had sex appeal.
Let’s take a look at red heads in social culture shall we; cast in one of the most successful films of 2015, and indeed ever;
Bryce Dallas Howard in Jurassic World – red head.
The UK’s most successful singer of 2015, Ed Sheeran – red head.
Voted the world’s sexiest woman, Jessica Chastain – red head.
Nearly every Disney heroine to date has been, yes you guessed it, a red head! Ariel, Peter Pan, Merida, Hercules, Jessie (Toy Story), Giselle, Ellie (UP), Jessica Rabbit, and Quasimodo (Ok, erm, not a great example, but we all know he’s a loving and great guy!)
I’m now 30, and have been with my ginger-loving husband for 10 years. My years of segregation, being ostracised and kicked to the pavement are long over and it has made me strong, shrewd, and able to deflect even the harshest of insults.
I see beauty deeper than someone’s complexion or hair colour, and I am humbled by compliments and affection. I teach my children to be kind to everyone, and to see beauty in everything and everyone. I run two very successful businesses as well as participating in many sporty charity challenges with celebrities, and all while being a busy Mum of 2. Things aren’t so bad for me… even though, according to troll features Hopkins, I was “harder to love”.
The only reason people like Ms Hopkins would find it difficult to love a ginger baby, is because they are the ones without a soul. They are without empathy, without respect, and without a brain cell large enough to fathom that the only reason they would find a ginger baby harder to love, is because they have imprinted their own red-haired hatred deep within their own human makeup. These people are shallow, self-obsessed, and far too ignorant to understand that love goes deeper than ginger roots.
I cried to my midwife both times she told me my children weren’t red heads, but took after their dark-haired father. I WANTED them to be flame haired, pale and beautiful, and to grow up strong and unique. But you know what? The colour of their hair is irrelevant and immaterial. They will grow up to be beautiful, intelligent, well rounded adults no matter what their hair colour is.
We loved them unconditionally the moment they were in our arms no matter what those little angels looked like. Incidentally, my son was born so quickly that he was black and blue with bulging eyes when he came out, and my daughter was a whopping 9lbs with a fuzzy brown haze all over her head and shoulders. Babies aren’t exactly the picture of beauty when they come out of your unmentionables!
Tuesday 12th January was national ‘Kiss a Ginger Day’, so if you haven’t already, go ahead and find yourself a gorgeous red head to smooch, because we’re rare, we’re unique and we really don’t steal your soul… all the time.
(Note from the editor: Many thanks to Madame Siren for being a House-Guest! To read more about her check out her author page here. To become a house-mate and contribute articles to The Glass House, click here)
