As a true, natural redhead, I feel like it is my duty to let the world know about a topic that has haunted me for the past 18 years. We, the redhead population, really wish you would stop asking and telling us things that we already know and have heard way too many times to count. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t tease us, it just means that sometimes we won’t find the things you say funny.
1. “Is that your original hair color??”
Yes, it’s God’s color. No matter how much you pay, fake red looks fake. Not like this.
2. “Can I touch it?”
Does my hair look like it’s a part of a petting zoo???? Like seriously! When I am at work, I have so many people ask if they can touch it or better yet don’t ask and just touch it. Not only are you penetrating my personal space, but that’s just rude. Take it from me, it feels exactly like normal hair, except it looks like it’s on fire.
3. “Have you ever thought about dying your hair?”
When I was younger, I wanted to dye my hair blonde, because I was the only redhead at my school. But then I started to own it, and now I would never dye it.
4. “Can I call you carrot top?”
To this day, I still hate this nickname. I never understood why kids thought this nickname was hilarious. When you look at a carrot, what color is the top? It is green. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure my hair is not green.
5. “Do you find being called a ginger offensive?”
Well technically, since I am not a ginger, I don’t find this term offensive. In my mind, a redhead and a ginger are different. A ginger has strawberry blonde hair and in the summer tans a little. A redhead is the opposite of this. Our hair is truly red, and in the summer, you can usually find us sitting in the shade and applying sunscreen.
6. “Are you and (insert another red head) related?”
Not all redheads are related, so unless we look like twins… don’t ask.
7. “Are both your parents redheads?”
Luckily for me, both of my parents have some kind of red hair (my dad is a strawberry blonde and my mom is a dark red). But for others, their answer isn’t as easy. Because red is a recessive gene (yes, I paid attention in Biology), it does not always show up in every generation.
8. “Does your hair magically change colors?”
No, as much as I want to be as close to a unicorn as possible, it does not. Just like every other hair color, it just gets lighter in the summer and darker in the winter.
9. “Do you have a soul?”
Recently, I was talking with one of my redheaded friends, and when she gets asked this question, she replies no just to see what the other person says.
10. “Are you Irish?”
Just because I have red hair, does not necessarily mean that I’m Irish.
If you know someone with red hair, they have most likely heard these things or been asked these questions. But if you are nice about asking, we will gladly answer you. Now don’t forget… Redheads might be extinct pretty soon, so be nice!