Throughout the years there have been numerous studies performed, conclusions drawn rumours spread and things written regarding ‘red heads’. Some are true, and some are just plain crazy!
I’m sure you have heard some of them before. I mean, did you know that red heads will be extinct within 2 years?
Extinction - seriously?!
I don’t know who started that one, but I know that I am certainly relieved to hear that it is not true.
What about these:
- Red heads are more susceptible to pain. I’ll personally refute this one as I believe that I have a high tolerance to pain – that is, until I possibly have kids one day…then ask me again.
- On the flip side, it has also been said that red heads have a higher tolerance for pain. As above.
- Red heads are witches…well, my Mum always said we were ‘witchy women’.
- Red head patients ‘bleed’ more during operations. Well, I know I’m a bleeder (when I manage to nick my legs shaving, I freak out at the amount of blood). Fingers crossed I’ve never needed an operation.
- There are such things as “gingerphobia” (hatred towards red heads) and “gingerism” (prejudice against red heads). In 2008 the ’Kick a Ginger’ group was formed on Facebook, aiming to establish a “National Kick a Ginger Day” in November that year. I was really disturbed at that, and after a deeper search on Facebook, was even more disgusted at the pathetic natures of some small-minded people in the world today.
- Red heads bruise easier. I know I most certainly do!
- Red heads take longer to heal. I do, but methinks that is not because of my hair colour.
- Red heads are highly sexed. Okay…?!
- In Polynesian culture red hair has traditionally been seen as a sign of descent from high-ranking ancestors and a mark of rulership.
- People with red hair are more sensitive to ultraviolet rays, burn easier and have a higher frequency of skin cancer. Gosh, that makes me sound like a vampire! Unfortunately I can’t refute this one (that is – the skin sensitivity, not the vampire part).
- Red Heads are less tolerant to the heat and the cold. As I get older, I tolerate the cold less, but methinks this is just an age and circulation thing. Give me heat any day.
- Red Heads also have more sensitive skin. Yep!
- Red heads are more anxious / temperamental (methinks this stems from the good ole’ red heads are fiery myth!).
- Red heads are fiery (don’t ever cross a red head!).
Beware the red head
- Red hair is a genetic mutation. So, I’m a mutant just like in X-Men but with no super powers right? Doh.
But seriously, red hair is just a hair colour! I’d love to hear if you have anything to the list!
And what about you and your hair colour? I’m so focussed on the red hair, it would be interesting to hear what everyone else had heard about theirs in their life times!
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Hey Janine. This is a great blog to read! I enjoy reading it and it is interesting but I am sorry to hear about the facebook page on “kick a ginger day”. That is very racist of these people to do that and I know how it feels like to be discriminated just because f the way I am. Seriously, I cannot believe that people would make some myths about the colour of your hair. I think that sounds ridiculous!! What has the colour of your hair got to do with your personality and the function of your body? Sounds strange to me but thanks for sharing this post. It was very good for me to read
Hey sweety, thanks so much for stopping by an leaving a comment. It means a lot. It is weird isn’t it – the hair colour thing. From people I’ve talked to apparently it’s worse in Australia then most other places. Weirdness. And you are right – what does the colour of ones hair have to do with anything?!
I think your entire list of myths is just that- with the exception of susceptible skin (which is true for any fair skinned individual, which includes most red-heads). And, the myth you did not list- that I have always been partial to redheads- that one is also true. (Many of our family have that red/auburn gene.)
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Hey Rot, thanks for adding you 2 cents. Now I’m thinking about it, I have personally found, as have some of my red head friends, that if a guy likes us he is usually quite obsessed with red heads in general.
I’m just thinking that technically we are are mutants – in the sense that if we weren’t, we would look just like some distant animal from millions of years ago. A spontaneous mutation could mean there is something different in your gene set than your parents gave you, but that’s certainly not where the red comes from. Phobia, btw, would be fear, not hatred.
Then there’s Redheadday in Breda in September – might be a good time to test that sexuality thing that we’re all wondering about.
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Redheadday!! I’ve never even heard off that. Off to google with me now!
A highly sexed vampire? You’re my kinda girl Janine! Seriously though these “facts” are pretty crazy. I do wonder now what my hair color says about me. Urban dictionary tells me I’m vibrant and seductive. I’ll take that. It also says that hair colored purple glimmers in the sunlight and makes for absolute beauty on the brave and blessed people who sport it. Not bad! Haha
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hehe you rock Lalia. As a teenager I was so obsessed with the Interview with a Vampire books I had dreams of being a stunning red headed vamp. I guess I could still dry to be a red headed vamp (just not vampire hehe). I love what you found about your hair colour! Seems to match the Lalia I know online
Janine,
A fun, and interesting, post. I think the biggest myth or misconception about redheads is that they have fiery tempers, one which you addressed. Maybe for this reason, during the Middle Ages, redheads were more likely to be accused of witchcraft.
Once, at my son’s behest, I became a redhead for a year. People who knew me didn’t like it; people who didn’t know me thought it was natural. One man actually told me, with tears in his eyes, that I reminded him of his dead sister because of my coloring. It was an interesting experience but I realized one thing: being a natural blonde, I do not have a redhead personality. For some reason, hair color is influential in the way we, and the rest of the world, regard ourselves. Congrats on being a proud redhead.
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Interesting Penelope. I guess I would be a prime example – these days – of hair colour influencing the way the world sees me and how I regard myself. After all the blog is called ‘Reflections from a red head’ hehe.
I know a few redheads… and I know enough to not cross them
But I also know they are feisty enough to get what they want out of life. Go REDs!
Fun post.
Dream On!
PeggyLee
Thanks for stopping by PeggyLee. Glad you found the post fun
Hehe I better start acting more feisty then hey!
I always thought that red heads were of Irish decent which is why so many of the qualities above were supposedly true. In today’s world where so much hair color comes from a bottle, it is often hard to tell the red heads by looking at their heads.
In truth to quote Horton – “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” or whatever their hair color is.
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I think that read hair suits you. As for me, I have a very pale skin and my hair is black. I think that most of your bullet points would apply to me. Go figure!
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hehe funny that! And thanks for the compliment. I like your hair colour and pale skin – it’s striking.
Hey Janine,
No red heads I know personally and myths are just that…myths! My mom made sure we didn’t believe in myths! She always managed to “prove” it wrong! And that spoil the fun as a kid. We all are black eyed or brown eyes in our family, so anyone with a grey eye color was said to be “meaner” and voila! my niece has grey eyes and she is slowly proving that wrong
Aw that’s beautiful that your niece is proving it wrong – yay!
Red hair is a rare gem and like any rare beauty there is much mystery and allure associated with it. I’d take it as a compliment. It could be worse. You could be born a blonde whose hair never stays that “idealized” pigmentation and then spend the rest of your life either trying to maintain that colour, with what are possibly carcinogenic dyes, or else accept your fate and become an invisible, yet despised, mousy haired schoolmarm. On the other hand, if you DO choose to maintain your “natural” blonde colour you then leave yourself open for all the stupid blonde jokes. You could also go red, which I did do once for about a year, so I have a bit of an inkling of the prejudice reds have to live under, although I found it mostly positive – well, if you accept sexual innuendoes as “positive”, which actually are more annoying than positive; however, not as annoying as all the dumb blonde jokes. Now that I’m facing my 39th birthday I’m going for a kind of greyish/mousy brown look. The good thing is that there are no more sexual innuendos.
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I am forever trying to achieve the perfect cusp of ginger and brunette.
My natural color is perhaps chestnut, and the only mythological powers I can think of being attributed with dark hair are villainy and a propensity towards less fun.
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Villain is okay as it brings to mind ‘vixen’ – as to propensity towards less fun
Wow, I sure learned a lot from this list Janine! I only knew about the skin sensitivity/ burning easily bit. Everything else was new to me
As for the mutation…aren’t we all? 
)
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I’ve always liked the color red for hair, which is why I’ve sported it so many times in my life…in fact I’ve been almost every color of the bottled color spectrum (except G’s purple) and enjoyed them all. Guess that just says I am eclectic about hair color as well as everything else in my life.
I have no prejudice against redheads…I think that is just plain silly…
And I just hired a redheaded nurse yesterday…her hair color had nothing to do with it…
I think…. 
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Wow, seriously they were trying to establish a kick a ginger day? Sometimes I hate this country.
Yep. But I think it actually started in the UK and then went global
I am a natural read head. I find that most of the myth are true for me. I bleed more, I bruis more easily. Pain seems 10x worse then other people (without redhear) have decribed it to me. I do get sun burnt easily, but I do tan a little once the sunburn fades away, but then again im a mix breed XD (irish, german, fresh, native america, dutch, etc.) I definally know I take longer to heal, some times ill have a bruise and it’ll be small and suddle, but ill have them for weeks at a time, another exampleI always get strep throat and my doctor perscribes me antibiotics, most people don’t get a refill but I do because I heal slowly and need more anitbiotics then other people. I am deffinally “highly sexed” enouggh said. As for heat or cold, I would rather sweat then freeze my A off. And for anxious/ tepermental that is definally me as well, I can not wait for this, example say my boyfriend tells me he has a supprise for me and he tells me I have to wait more then say a day, ill get mad at him for messing with me telling me there’s a suprise and telling me so soon about it. I agree with most of what was said.
On another note my boyfriend and my mother are a redheads as well and every thing I said and agree with also applys to them too.