I definitely agree with the ginger-ism in the UK, it's ridiculous! I don't like red hair any more than I do blonde, or black, or brown, but it's just crazy how much teasing red-heads have to put up with.

Don't blonds have to put up with their fair share of harassment and bad jokes, too?

This just seems insane! I've always loved redheads, they always make me wish I had bright red hair. I guess it all started with Pippi and how much I worshiped her strength and freedom.

I'm not a natural redhead, but I haven't had to deal with any discrimination at all. Most people have actually been quite complimentary of my colour.
My blonde coworkers get a lot more flack for their colour, natural or not.

The worst I've heard is "Get a tan!" which isn't really insulting at all as I'd look ridiculous with a tan.
Most people I've encountered are pro Team Hot Ginge

I'm always surprised by that, I've always wanted to have red hair. But then I think I have a type, the last two guys I dated were (are) ginger and incre-di-bly attractive. You got to love Scotland.

i used to be in industrial sales, and worked with a LOT of garbagemen, and waste mangmt people that were mostly 'the good ol boys'. they totally made fun of my hair! they called me 'red', and made remarks about my hair and paleness and etc,. calling me Red was actually kind of endearing though, they'd call me in on dispatch and be like Red? Where are you?! Where am i supposed to put this dumpster?

I never really got this either. I've always wanted red hair!

I'm a natural red head, very pale but without freckles. In school I got teased for my paleness but not my red hair, and even then, I got more compliments then insults. I love my red hair and strangers come up to me to tell me it's beautiful all the time. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

haha well we sort of do (I live in Massachusetts). some of my friends make jokes about gingers, as in, "why on earth did you hook up with a ginger?!" which is pretty funny, but they're not meant seriously at all.

I actually do understand this, now this may seem a little extreme. but I have grown up as a male natural red head and have received negative comments about it me entire life. Now not always too mean but still continually got called them. There have been countless times that people don't even learn my name they just call me "red" "big red" and "ginger"... It just gets old sometimes

My natural color is a dark reddish - brown and I was teased a bit when I was younger. But more for my freckles (oh yes, gotta love being asked if somebody can play connect the dots on your arm).

Kids always find ways to mock and harass one another, but the parents clearly haven't taught them right from wrong. If you ask anyone, they were teased about something growing up (throw like a girl, nerd, dumb blond jokes, sexual orientation, skin color, $$ background, etc.). The media obviously had a slow news day to try and pass this off as news!

It does seem to me that hostility towards redheads have been more highlighted in the media recently. Elliot, Sarah Chalke's character on Scrubs, expressed her aversion to 'gingers', as well as the character of Kendra on Glee is aghast at her having given birth to "creepy ginger kids." Kick a Ginger Day, etc, has also been disturbing. My biggest question as an Irish-American and "ginger" is: why?

Growing up, I would say that I mostly received compliments on my auburn hair, whereas my friend with orange-ish hair was frequently teased, so I think it depends on what shade of red hair you have. I was WAY more self-conscious about being covered in freckles, and it always seemed to be elderly people who were inclined to comment on them.

I wonder if discrimination against redheads in the UK is caused more by a hostility towards Irish people in general?

Redheads may not be teased everywhere, but in some areas they are treated extremely badly. A lot of it much be based on its association with the Irish.

It is never okay to tease someone about their skin or hair colour. If people were mocking black kids about their colouring people would freak out (and rightfully) so why isn't ginger discrimination, fueled by the media, simply wrong. A little teasing is way different than getting your a$$ beat in England, etc.

I recently went back to red. A red copper.. and the stylist said she had four ladies in that week just for a red coloring. I had red hair as a baby, but it soon got darker to an auburn shade. I love redheads! But Christina isn't a real redhead.

it hurts my feelings, that's for sure.

Out here, I've noticed that women with red hair get compliments on their hair but they get teased for being pale but the "gingerism" seems tougher on guys. For some reason, girls don't want to date redheaded guys and I remember biking with my buddy (who's a male redhead) and these guys from across the street yelled "Ginger!!" It's pretty messed up.

I always hated hearing, "I'd rather be dead, than red in the head."
or "I'll beat him/her/you like a red-headed stepchild."
I dated a guy once who told me that he wouldn't want children with me
for fear of having a redheaded son. Nice guy he was.

I hate how gingers, like me, are put into television or movies as the sickish people who are allergic to stuff, sneeze a lot, or are angry people.

And for gingers like me who have an enormous amount of freckles, it even worse. Growing up, kids in elementry school used to tease me and call me bullet-hole (stupid I know) or zit-face, when in fact I just have a LOT of freckles.

And, although I really don't mind this, my friends call me Ginger, because of my fair skin, strawberry blonde hair, and freckles.

Such a shame! I love red hair and I wish I was a redhead naturally.

I'm a bottle redhead right now but I was a strawberry blond growing up so I didn't get a lot of the redhead teasing- even though I was on the end of the freckle jokes believe me. I get more compliments about my hair color now then when I was bleaching the red out of it. I don't mind my freckles, pale skin and (current) red hair.

i've never heard of this! and i've been looking to dye my hair red soon. i went strawberry blonde last summer and the guy i was seeing loved it- he thought i should keep it like that always (but i get too bored to stick to one color!)

I don't agree with the stupid stereotypes and the unreasonable discrimination red-headed people face.

"Ranga" is a cool nickname though.

I'm a natural redhead, but I don't have any freckles. I've dealt with the jokes and discrimination since childhood. Being in school was horrible, but it got better during high school. I used to dye my hair brown just so I wouldn't have to put up with it.
But as I got older, I was able to see it for what it was is - a rarity. My hair has been used as samples for hair dye. I've had women ask me if it's dyed, and if so, what brand was it. I've been complimented by random people. And a lot of men have started dating me because they like it. I'm proud of being a redhead because it's not common. I no longer get insulted if someone calls me 'red', it's just a nickname that fits my most obvious trait.
Those who continue to insult it are the same people that are prejudice and racist towards anythings that's not common or isn't like them. They can be happy with their boring blonde or brown hair, I'll be happy not looking like 98% of the human population.

I have red hair and freckles and have never been teased for that but was teased immensely for being chubby as a kid. I guess that weighed out (pun intended) over my "gingerism".

kastarte2 are you kidding me? dumb blonde jokes aren't quite in the same category as a day designated to beating up on those with red hair. give me a break.

mearvalous - Sure, but how much more prevalent are not dumb blonde jokes than "kick a ginger" day? It is ridiculous that kids are mean to others based on their hair color, but how often does it get taken to such an extreme? Nor are dumb blonde jokes very serious, though getting teased for your blonde hair is CERTAINLY just as hurtful getting teased for your red hair. (Let's face it - kids are arbitrarily mean, and it's just as likely that a day for kicking blondes or brunettes could be made up as one for hurting gingers.)

But in the end, I think it is just kind of ridiculous getting upset about unduly teasing about hair color. Sure, practices such as the middle school one outlined are serious and dangerous, but it's not like it's specifically about hair color (it's about how violent and oppressive kids are getting, which is indeed a matter for worry.) Meanwhile, people are *actually* getting discriminated against for such matters as skin color and sexual preferences every single day, and I personally think that is more serious than teasing based on hair color.

I've been dying my hair red since high school and I never really get teased. I have freckles as well and don't recall being teased about them by other kids only family members. I think both are adorable.

I'm was very red as a kid but my hair lightened up to strawberry-blonde in high school so I got cut with both ends of the sword. Sometimes people would make dumb blonde jokes but I found that those were easier to deflect by lightly laughing them off. People were downright cruel with the ginger comments though. Blondes don't have rumors circulating that they "don't have souls," or "aren't worth living," which are common "jokes," dealing with redheads. People also think it's funny that the genes for red hair and green eyes are becoming extinct, which I personally think is a shame. I wish my hair was as red as it used to be.