Monday 14 January 2008

Is Red Dead?

How many redheads do you know? Are there any in your family?

This article in theToronto Star says that redheads may be a thing of the past in 100 years time.

Both parents need to carry the recessive gene to produce a redhaired baby. My father had red hair but nobody in my mother's extended family did, so I was a surprise. I have quite a few redhaired cousins on my father's side of the family.

It was the bane of my life as a kid. I was called GingerNut, Red, Carrot Top. One girl wondered how I could sleep at night. "Doesn't your hair keep you awake?" she asked. Hmmmm.
My mother always dressed me in blue, she said it went well with my hair. I avoided wearing blue for years, but I like it again now.

There must be lots of redhead bloggers out there. A few that spring to mind are Ginnie at In Soul, Sue at Photowannabe and MaryEllen at Xtreme-English. I'd love to hear stories of how you all survived the inevitable taunts that go with being a redhead.

Only a month to go before my first grandbaby arrives.

I wonder if........

35 comments:

  1. No redheads in my clan, but I have know several redheads over the years.

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  2. I had a good laugh over your friend wondering how you could sleep at night! HAHAHAHA!

    I remember all the taunts and jeering as you have, Ex-S. It's a wonder to me they got away with it. I even remember laughing along with one guy in particular (after my kids we born) who just wouldn't quit. Finally I got so P***ed off I almost killed him. Redhead rage, you know. :) Now I laugh because in both Germany and Holland you see women all the time with various shades of dyed red hair. It tickles me to no end. If they only knew what we went through in years gone by.

    So, we're a dying species??? Who ever would have thought!

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  3. My mother-in-law was a redhead and her nickname was "Rusty". Tell you what, she didn't grey until she was very old.....maybe that is a redhead plus?

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  4. ... she is lucky enough to be a red head too?

    ;-) look at the rest of us spending lots of $$$ or rather kroner for me coloring it all different shades - many of which are red. Red heads are beautiful.

    I have: mother, 2 uncles (her siblings) hmmm ... thats it.

    Thank you for your sweet comment at my blog

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  5. how cruel that you were teased! in north dakota, red hair was truly unusual and, it seemed to me, valued. i don't remember anyone getting teased because of it. my own hair did not turn red until i reached adolescence. strangely, it's gotten redder over the years--with NO help from the factory, as we used to say. red hair does seem to keep its color longer. my mother's hair never did turn gray...it just sort of lost its spark.

    i, too, read the article about the possible demise of natural red hair. i also read that neanderthals are supposed to have had red hair! hmmm....

    thanks for an interesting post!

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  6. You might not expect this from a dark haired Latino, but I have a red-headed stepchild! It's true!! And she's a blogger. I'll see if I can send her over. :-)

    P.S.
    I only call her stepchild in fun. As far as I am concerned, biology is over-rated. She has been MY daughter 100%, since I married her mom, and I love her dearly.

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  7. My mom is a redhead! She hated it when she was a child! Some of her siblings are readheads too.My sister's son is a redhead.

    My favorite colour is blue by the way!

    Thank's for your comment on my blog! I would like to write more, but my english is limited. I hope you understand what I wrote...

    Have a nice week :)

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  8. Redheads have lovely colouring. I'm a brunette with brown eyes myself, but I've met lots of redheads whose complexions I've envied. Some people are just plain mean. It's sad you had to be teased when you were younger.

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  9. Hi Ex-S...yes I was teased as a child but it was more for the freckles that went along with the red or Strawberry Blond that I had. When I was younger it was more brassy...when pregnant it turned more auburn and now its got dashes of white-not gray- and as xtreme english said it has just lost its spark. Red hair runs on both sides of my family and 2 granddaughters have really red hair with the beautiful creamy complextion to go with it.
    I was told to never wear red or pink because of my hair color but now I do and say what the heck. If I like it I'll wear it...Its nice to be much older and not worried about what people think.

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  10. no redheads in my family, interesting facts!

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  11. Nope, no redheads in my family. Thanks for commenting on my blog (maryspathways). The youngest of three boys and his lovely wife are expecting their first chile (a boy) in late April/Early May. This will be the third boy all living in the same town as we do. We also have a granddaughter who will be 1 in February - she lives in Phoenix, AZ with our daughter and son-in-law. I love having the grandchildren come over to play with me. We have so much fun as you know if you've read my blog. Sometimes I fear I'm becoming a bore for always talking about the babies. Congrats to the new parents to be and to you, as grandmother.

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  12. I am not a Redhead but have always loved the look of Red Hair, in ALL it's many shades!!
    I can't believe that girl said that about sleeping at night? Kids can be so unthinking sometomes....!

    BTW: I know that little song about "Itsy Bisty Spider" very very well....And in fact I thought of that when I saw him! LOL!

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  13. Whoa. Did Ginnie say redheads are a dye-ing species? Oh, I must have misread that. Sorry.

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  14. i didn't know you were an endangered species, but makes sense I guess. How sad that would be :o(

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  15. There must be red in our family genes somewhere! When my sister was born she was a true 'red head' the only other person with red hair in our immediate vacinity was the 'milk man'???? Much fun was made of this, but in fact it must be on my Dads side as we have cousins who have red hair!!!
    I love the kitties too!

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  16. Love your haircolor :)
    Mine is boring black :(

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  17. No real redheads around in my immediate environment, but I have some very nice memories of a red haired girl I met when I was young!

    Among bloggers, I could possibly suggest that you check with joann (Netherlands). She seems to be very red haired and to be proud about it! (http://www.joannwalraven.blogspot.com/)

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  18. Hay , well Peter from paris told me that I should write you,

    Yes I a DUTCH woman and I am totally all over (everywhere haha!) a REDHEAD:

    I visited in Holland the REDHAired-day, there I found out that a lot of NOT red haired people called themselfs REDheads, Why? Thats so very strange to me, I am (still) really wondering why? This fake redheared people dyed/coloured their hairs 'red' with henna or else.
    Or even blond-haired (yellow?)people called themselfs RED, but do not have all the redhaired 'things'.

    So I always had 'since I was born' and I STILL have LONG Chestnut Dark-Red-Brown Curled hair, including the freckels, light skin... sun-allergy etc, Children were teasing me when I was a child...., because redhair was 'stupid'ugli . They said you were rosty ,

    OK more red-hairded people are:
    2)My two sisters were LIGHTred when they were younger, but after 30 years they turned blond,
    3) My dad was red, now grey.
    4+5+6+7+8+9) 4 little and 1 teenager cousins of me, are allvery REDhaired....

    So including myself I know 9 redhaired people (from birth).. Satisfied?

    Visit my blog and find out if I am really RED, you see me and my haircolour at the sidebar on the RIGHT.

    BYE from REDhaired JoAnn (Holland)

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  19. You don't see as many natural red heads these days. My mother had one sister with red hair, but she is the only one in the family.
    I love red hair and green eyes.!

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  20. yup many redheads in my family and a grandson who has the really bad temper to go with it.
    Trying to catch up with your blog while i have internet service but using a friends puter with air card

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  21. Think yourself lucky, haha im grey.

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  22. My oldest son is a redhead. His Hispanic grandfather was as well. My grandfather's brother...Italians....had burnished colored hair....that's what my mother called it...it was dark red. I saw a picture. My son to this day hates his hair...he had a hard time in school too.

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  23. I have heard this said before, Scotland as a lot of redheads but they do seem to be on the decline.. I hope it dose not ever 'DYE' out ( pardon the pun )

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  24. Hello! Craver directed me here. :)

    I am a natural redhead, but it's more of that auburn color and I get quite a few compliments on it and according to a few hairstylists I've talked to, it's more of the "desired" shade of red that people try to go for. It amuses me actually since it's only been in my adult life that I've actually finally appreciated my red hair (I'm 26). There's no one else in my family with red hair, so often I felt like I was the odd one and even dyed my hair to become a brunette one time just so I felt like I fit in more. Of course it was only a temp dye, since I couldn't commit to anything permanent. Now I love my red hair and I love that I'm more unique because of it!!

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  25. I am a redhead, as is my sister, my brother, and my daughter. I have one sister (the oldest) with dark hair. Both of my parents have dark hair and blue eyes....and I don't remember any other "reds" in our family! My son has dark hair and blue eyes. Amazing how all of that works!

    I don't remember being teased too much....I remember more people saying "what unique color", "lovely hair" etc. My daughter gets LOTS of comments.... she wears it long....and along with the red hair comes fair skin. She is a basketball player and very athletic, but of course....her face turns beet red when she exerts herself (which is most of the time).

    My siblings and I grew up in a small town...there weren't many redheads around. I always appreciated the fact that I was a bit unique because of it.

    GREEN is my favorite color! Never did wear much Pink or RED.

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  26. Sorry to pop in this way, but saw your post at Stacies blog and have some "info" for you...

    See: http://doubledeckerbuses.org/blog/index.php/2007/07/27

    ...and anyone with fond memories of green buses (Country buses) is great in our book!

    As for the redheads, this will make fans of the Tudor dynasty most upset! It's odd how redheads do get "teased" more than anyone... I was reading in the "beeb" about one whole family that had to MOVE HOMES because of taunting due to their abuse.

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  27. Hi, the brie is now thawed and ripe and ready to eat. I have cheese and grapes, and I'm just waiting for you to bring the biscuits and merlot.

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  28. How interesting, to think redheads are on the wane.

    How exciting to look forward to soon being/becoming a grandma. I still have a ways to go.

    Thanks for visitin/commenting on MotherPie!

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  29. Hurray for babies!!!

    I wanna be a redhead. When I dyed my hair, I told my hair person i wanted it red. She said it would be too hard to maintain.

    But um. no. no redheads in my immediate family. LOL. but not even in my extended married family. Although I have a SIL named Ginger but she has brown hair most of the time.

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  30. no redheads in malaysia unless they colored their hair or they are not locals...

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  31. I was a redheaded toddler... orange to be precise. People would say "Hey Little Red" and
    Carrot Top!" I would put my hands over my eyes, didn't want to acknowledge them.
    Slowly thru grade school my hair darkened into a deep brown with lots of red highlights only visible in sunlight. Same thing happened with a neighbor kid, his bright red hair and freckles were gone once he completely passed thru puberty--by age 20 the transformation was complete and he looked so different--amazing.

    I guess we just were not "Ginger" enough!

    Most of my Ginger friends are still full-on gingers though.

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  32. Think yourself lucky you have hair! (send us your clippings to stick on!)

    Poor red heads do get a lot of stick but I do not know why.

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  33. Hi Shammy, just been browsing through a few back numbers of your posting. Been a lit lazy recently and not doing as much as I should! Well, blame Christmas.

    My daughter Jemima is a redhead. I'm a blond and my ex is very dark. My grandmother's sister (my great aunt) was auban and ex reckons one of his aunties was a redhead. Well, she was a bit gingerish, not what I would call a redhead.

    Jemima's boyfriend looks as if he could be her twin brother! Except of course that he has a beard and an exceptionally hairy chest. Wonder what colour hair their children will have, if indeed that stick together! Hopefully,
    Lorenzo.

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  34. My first boyfriend after college was a redhead with million of freckles all over. I was TOTALLY FASCINATED with his freckles. :-)

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  35. I think my grandmother was, although not by the time I got to know her. My mum was (the only one of 8 children), but it's faded now. One cousin was always known as carrot-top (poor chap) and another cousin's daughter had a mass of red curls as a child.
    Sue

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