Ginger Appreciation

Funnily enough, gingers need love too.

[gingerappreciation]

History of Gingers

Some random beliefs 

Ancient Greece/Rome: Red hair associated with honour and courage! Thought gingers to be good luck, so red haired slaves were more expensive. Also believed that when gingers died they’d turn into vampires. 

Ancient Egypt: Gingers were bad luck, therefore were buried alive as a sacrifice to their god Osiris to end bad luck. 

Obviously in Europe; they were thought to be witches, vampires, and werewolves at varying points. So you gotta burn them, or stake them - kill them someway, somehow. 

https://gingerparrot.co.uk/the-ancient-history-of-redheads-and-ginger-hair/

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Redheads-Myths--Legends--and-Famous-Red-Hair

Let’s also not forget the Irish Slave Trade 

YEAH THAT WAS A THING!  https://gingerparrot.co.uk/the-ancient-history-of-redheads-and-ginger-hair/ Here’s a good article on it

but it’s actually noted that the irish were treated WORST than African Americans because the African American slaves were more expensive. The discrimination against black people doesn’t change because of that fact though; what happened was still a shitty thing to happen. Having someone else go through the same experience doesn’t change the result and the current treatment - it’s like during the holocaust the jewish people weren’t the only ones killed; but that doesn’t take away from the horrific event that occurred and the impact it had.  

I’m just drawing attention to the fact that Gingers have a history of discrimination as well and to this day still continues; usually seen as an okay thing because it’s based on hair colour rather than skin. 

It’s fine to mock a ginger kid to suicide or beat to them death. They’re just a ginger right? 

This quote here: “ Many people today will avoid calling the Irish slaves what they truly were: Slaves. They’ll come up with terms like “Indentured Servants” to describe what occurred to the Irish. However, in most cases from the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish slaves were nothing more than human cattle.” Kinda says it all - people make it seem less harsh, not as bad - they try to downplay what gingers go through. The discrimination will never stop if it doesn’t get address. 

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it’s because we’re white. Like. If this was any other minority (We make up 1-2% of the world’s population, we are a minority) these events and current treatment would never be excused. 

[gingerappreciation]

Here’s some articles about Gingerism

https://www.wikihow.com/Deal-with-Ginger-Discrimination

https://metro.co.uk/2017/02/05/why-britain-needs-a-law-against-ginger-discrimination-6427955/

https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/discrimination-against-redheads-very-real-says-author

https://www.unilad.co.uk/featured/why-is-ginger-bullying-one-of-the-last-acceptable-prejudices/

[gingerappreciation]

I just found...

http://www.thegingernet.com/

A site dedicated to gingers

They also apparently hold a ginger pride rally? XD 

http://www.thegingernet.com/ginger-pride-rally

This is very interesting HMMMMM

Glad to see some #Gingerpride 

[gingerappreciation]

Some common misconceptions about Gingers

Easily Angered - See just because we have red hair doesn’t mean we match the symbolism of the colour red. People are different! This includes gingers. In fact I’m pretty chill I’d like to think. 

Super wild in bed ;) - Again, this depends on the person. I find it odd that I’m ace yet my star sign and the colour of my hair’s stereotypes that I’m super sexual. Heh. RIP me I guess. But yeah, some might be crazy wild, others may not.  No blue eyes? No freckles? PFFT You’re not a REAL ginger - Okay guys. Ginger is a specific gene that occurs that causes certain things to happen, like sensitivity to the sun, higher resistance to pain - etc. The colour of one’s eyes doesn’t matter to it. Red hair can be with brown, blue, and green eyes - in fact it’s common for gingers to have Brown and Green eyes over blue - since Blue eyes is also rare (out of the three). Same goes for freckles, sometimes you just get no freckles *shrugs* it’s fine. It doesn’t invalidate the red hair and the struggles. 

For some reason boys are viewed as “clownish, weak, and hefty” which idk why again, different people, different strengths and weakness - one’s hair doesn’t define that.  Gingers will go extinct - Fun fact; this isn’t true :DDDD Yes we have a recessive gene, but it doesn’t naturally die out. Unless every ginger becomes celibate and never passes down the gene; there’s always a possibility for a ginger! We may become rarer, but extinction isn’t in our near future.  https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/redhead-extinction.htm < good article to read on it that sums it up pretty well. 

Hopefully now you feel a little more knowledgeable :3

[gingerappreciation]

The fact that this is a thing *rolls eyes* 

[gingerappreciation]

Sansa Stark Fanart

Appreciating her freckles

[gingerappreciation]

The lack of freckles in the media bothers me. I mean think about it, red haired people generally have freckles yet for some reason the media doesn’t portray ginger characters with them.

First off, where are you finding all these red heads without freckles (Non freckled red heads are gorgeous still too, don’t worry. This isn’t against you.) Secondly, why?

I mean Harry Potter, the Weasleys. They should all have freckles. Do they? No. Sansa from Game of Thrones? No.

Okay now you may see the Lindsay Lohan as a kid gif and go “she has freckles” and yes. She does have freckles. Now if you look at the next picture, you’ll see Lindsay Lohan with her ginger hair, with no freckles. They’re covering up with makeup :/ 

I’m not saying that Hollywood purposefully picks red heads without freckles or is consistently putting makeup on to cover those freckles up. The red heads without freckles are great actors and actresses and deserve that role. The makeup is just part of the industry, and sadly freckles get covered when you add makeup to them. I just wish that they weren’t always covered up on screen, or that freckles would be introduced more in animation - another argument. I mean have you seen Merida? Kim Possible? Ariel? etc. Red haired characters are rarely drawn with freckles too. Heck most artists don’t draw the red haired characters with freckles, even if they’re doing fan art for a character. I mean I can get when freckles can’t be made with the design of the style, like trying to fit freckles onto Blossom’s, Candace’s and Kim Possible’s face wouldn’t work, and Ogres, zombies, and rats don’t have freckles - but then with all the possible chances of Gingers making their way into the media, I’m bothered that there isn’t more. 

[gingerappreciation]

Buzzfeed Mistake

So on the Privilege Test Buzzfeed has made, they have some obvious sections. They narrow down POC, Sexuality, Gender, and a few economical standings. What they failed to realize was how much the POC section could apply to gingers.  I have never been mocked for my accent - unless you’re bloody Irish and Scottish, can’t say they’ve never been mocked before.

I have never been told I’m attractive for my ‘race’ - Gingers, especially boys, tend to be seen as “ugly” so you can imagine. (I know, I remember some girls at my school saying they’d never date a ginger because ginger boys tend to be ugly.)

You have never been called a racial slur - There are racial slurs for Gingers, here’s a list actually: http://www.rsdb.org/search?q=irish (directed mainly towards irish people because...they were a discriminated group.)

I have never been a victim of violence because of my race - Remember Kick a Ginger day? Violence against gingers is an actual thing, to a point where “Ginger-bashing” was being put up for debate to consider it a hate crime since it had led to violent attacks. (Mainly in England) http://www.newstatesman.com/nelson-jones/2013/01/should-ginger-bashing-be-considered-hate-crime A stranger has never asked to touch my hair or asked if it’s real: I, a ginger, can attest to strangers randomly touching my hair and asking if it’s real/dyed.  So as you can see, gingers can fall under things that affect POC.  We just get overlooked because there’s only a few of us. Just a random rant. 

[gingerappreciation]

Ginger Fact #1

Currently only 1-2% of the population are gingers.  Majority being in Great Britain.