The Pros and Cons of Being a Redhead

Hippycat826 is joining the hair debate, and she even has SCIENTIFIC THINGS to back up her points. Color us impressed. —Sparkitors

With all the articles about blondes and brunettes, I was sad to see no one has written anything about awesome redheads (maybe it’s because there are so few of us). So, as a proud redhead, I have decided to step up to the plate and fill the void. Without further ado, here is my two cents in the Great Hair Debate:

Cons

1.    It takes more anesthesia to numb a redhead. On average it takes about 20% more anesthesia to produce the same numbing effect on a redhead than, say, a brunette. This is caused by a genetic mutation that also causes the red pigment. Read more about this weird sciency stuff on redheads here.

2.    Gingerphobia. The fear of ginger or red haired people. Yes, sadly this is a real thing.

3.    Gingerism. Even more unfortunately, this is also a real word. This is defined as the bullying or prejudice of people with red hair. This was probably spurred mostly by a certain animated show that went viral a few years ago. (But we know people just tease us ‘cause they’re jealous.)

4.    Nicknames After a while being called a “Carrot top” or “Ginger” gets really old.

5.    Redheads are more likely to get stung by wasps or bees. Having been stung twice already in my life, I think I can say this is true.

6.    Most redheads have pale skin, which can lead to more sunburn. Just one word…OUCH!

Pros

1.    You are unique! Only 4% of the world’s population shares your hair color, making it the most rare (natural) hair color. And there are even less in the US, where only 1-2% of the population are estimated to have red locks.

2.    Rupert Grint. One of the hottest redheads on the planet…need I say more?

3.    You can attend this! Even if you didn’t know it existed! And it looks like a lot of fun!

4.    Compliments You might know your hair color is already rockin’, but it always helps to have someone else tell you! Compliments on my hair have been part of my life since I was little, which is always nice.

5.    You don’t get grey when you get older. Red hair tends to fade with age, but never truly turns grey.

6.    There’s a myriad of shades out there. Red hair can go from fiery orange to deep auburn. No two redheads are ever exactly alike!

7.    Many people would LOVE to have your hair color. How else can you explain why people spend hundreds of dollars trying to dye their hair the perfect red hue? Red hair dye is the most sold color of dye, with brunette in close second and blond trailing in third, surprisingly.

And as a goodbye I leave you with Ruadh gu brath! Which is Gaelic for “Redheads forever!”

Does being a redhead sound awesome or awful?

Related Post: The Pros and Cons of Being Brunette

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