This blog has rather been inspired by the fact that I have just dyed my hair - although naturally a shade of red - this time a deep crimson.
I love being a ginger ninja even if it does mean that I end up being told I look like just about every red haired celebrity in the media, including Florence Welch, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Princess Beatrice, Isla Fisher and most frequently Paloma Faith - all of these women look nothing a like and nothing like me - except that we are all red heads. Though I do share a similar style love with Paloma ... though as I like to point out - I am not like Paloma, Paloma is like me and I was doing Paloma before Paloma was doing Paloma honey.
I am not a vain person, yes I am victim to spending hours in front of the mirror but I think I can owe that to insecurity (being a teenager in the twenty first century and more than several years with an eating disorder can be thanked for that), but I am very proud of my ginger roots *ber-bum-ching*. I really like my natural colour but being an ever evolving creature I do get bored from time to time - I like to experiment and play with styles frequently and naturally my hair adapts too - but always a shade of red. It gave me my nickname - Ruby - I can't ask for much more than that.
It surprises me really just how many red heads hate their hair - I suppose endless childhood teasing would account for some of that and every chav down the high street shouting "ginger *insert relevant expletive*" (observant creatures that they are) helps much either. But we are a minority and I feel we should all stick together and be ginger and proud within our predominately gingerist society. This is not my paranoia either might I be quick to point out - ginger support groups actually exist and there's even websites selling ginger merch - as if we need to reaffirm our greatness with naff paraphernalia (says she owning a "Red Heads Rule" t-shirt). Pfft. It rather winds me up that you can't buy proper ginger hair dye (I have looked endlessly) and with the exception of larger stores it's very difficult to come across red head specific hair products where there are rack and racks of blonde and brunettes items.
There is a flipside too though - red head fetishes are not uncommon and obviously you look at some of the great art movements inspired by we luscious locked beauties - what would the Rubens and Pre-Raphs be without us eh? We are, however a dying breed, so I feel that you all should do your bit for society and sleep with a ging - we need to reproduce our population. *goes off to make "Do you bit - sleep with a ginger" banners but feels this may not be helping matters*...
i've been through this a lot with myself actually...it's something i've been negotiating with myself as well. you know i can empathise, you were there, being ginger is tough when you're growing up (to an extent that dyeing my hair black in your old houses' bath was a good idea...)
ReplyDeletei reached this conclusion over christmas as well. i've gone from being completely ashamed about my hair colour to wanting to make it stand out as much as possible. it was the snow- when everyone is dressed in black and grey, covered up, there's something so vibrant about a redhead walking around. it's illuminant over the white. it's a piece of individuality that few can recreate.
not to mention that two of the main characteristics of gingers are 1) firey tempers and, better still 2) fiery in bed. and i doubt either of us are doing anything for the stereotype ;p