Redheads -What's Special About This 2% of the Population

Have you noticed that redheads are different? Well, they are in so many ways. I don’t usually promote the idea of stereotypes, but I will present one here for your consideration and amusement, with a few theories and facts thrown in for legitimacy.

What is a Redhead

Hair colour specialists consider many shades of hair colour red even though none are red, as most people would think of the colour red. It can vary from burgundy to red-orange to strawberry blond. Now, let’s be clear here. I am talking about natural redheads, not redheads from a bottle. And speaking of that, red hair is more difficult to dye than other colours because it maintains its natural pigment.

Redheads Throughout the World

Well, first of all, redheads are not everywhere in the world. It would be rare to spot a redhead anywhere in Africa or Asia. So, the 2% expressed in the title of this essay is misleading because it refers to approximately 2% of the population worldwide. If there are few to none in Africa and Asia, then the average percentage would be higher in Western countries.

The two countries with the greatest percentage of redheads are Ireland, at about 10%, and Scotland, at about 6%. The country with the greatest number of redheads is the United States, just because the population is greater than that of European countries.

History Has Not Been Kind to RedHeads

Redheads have struggled in many cultures throughout ancient history and, sometimes, even modern history. Now, why do you suppose that is? The logical reason that fits with superstitions, occultism, and religion is that they stood out as different because there were so few.

Lilith, the supposed first wife of Adam, had red hair, and according to some sources, so did Adam. They got kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and so began the plight of redheads. Just as an aside, a fear of redheads is known as gingerphobia. (Check out my post on phobias.) For clarification, the word ginger, in this case, has nothing to do with The Gingerbread Man in the Shrek movie series or gingerbread houses that kids make during the Christmas season. Ginger is a colour sometimes used to refer to redheads, although some would say in a derogatory way.

Anyway, back to history. Ancient Greeks believed that redheads became vampires when they died. In ancient Egypt, they were buried alive as sacrifices to the god Osiris. In parts of Africa, they still believe them to be witches. And speaking of witches, during the witch hunts in 16th and 17th century Europe, many were burned at the stake for the sole reason that their hair was red. Historically, it really did hurt to have red hair. Gingerism is the prejudice against people with red hair and has been prevalent throughout history.

Physical Characteristics

Red hair is the rarest natural hair colour in humans. Red hair with blue eyes is the rarest hair and eye colour combination. However, red-haired people have many things in common with one another, regardless of the tone or hue of their red hair.

Redheads, almost without exception, have fair skin that doesn’t tan but burns quickly in the sun. For those with freckles, the freckles become more apparent after exposure to bright sun.

The most interesting comparison I have read is that red hair is thicker. We don’t usually consider hair to be countable. However, redheads have fewer but thicker hairs than those with other hair colours. The example given is blonds have about 140,000 hairs, while redheads have only 90,000.

It’s an interesting statistic, but many questions come to mind. First of all, why count the hairs on someone’s head? Does that knowledge have any scientific value? Second, who did the counting? And finally, how long did it take? If the counters were paid by the 1,000s of hairs, the one counting the blond hairs would make much more money than the one counting the red hairs. Truly inequitable.

To finish this section, it’s a fact most redheads’ hair doesn’t turn gray as they age. It gradually changes to blond and finally to white. I had hoped that would happen to my hair as I got older, but it wasn’t to be. Unfortunately, instead of turning to white, much of it just disappeared.

Let’s Talk About Cats

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was an American humorist and author from the 19th to the early 20th century. He said many interesting and unusual things for which we can only guess at his meaning or intent. He once said, “While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats.” It’s a strange quote, especially when taken out of context. What could he have possibly meant?

We are all probably familiar with the ape reference from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. But cats?

Human Characteristics Attributed to Cats

Love to nap – Most people love to nap, but that seems to be a cat’s reason to exist.
Love food – Just the rustle of the food bag has the cats come running.
Very Particular – Cats are always preening themselves. They like to be clean and beautiful.
Nosy by nature – Cats are into everything and are always aware of what’s happening around them.
Quick fight or flight response – Cats are very aware of danger or anything different in their space.
Like affection on their terms – Cats want to be affectionate only at their convenience.
Appear to be moody – Cats appear to be moody because they decide what mood to be in at any given time.
Not weird but unique – Cats don’t consider themselves weird, only different from everyone else.
Don’t suffer fools gladly – Cats are intelligent and expect everyone else to be as well.
Sometimes a loner – It’s apparent to the whole family when cats want to be left alone.

Substitute “redheads” for “cats” in each of the above situations. If you know any redheads, how many of the above apply to them? As I said at the beginning, I don’t generally believe in stereotypes, but this one is interesting, and it’s only for fun.

The Extinction of Redheads

I’m not talking about currently existing redheads. A theory, or hoax, has been perpetuated online that the recessive gene that causes redheads will die out by 2060. Although recessive genes can indeed become rare, it is unlikely that they would ever die out completely. Therefore, redheads in their various shades and tones are here to stay.

The talk of redhead extinction began in 2007 with a research foundation called the Oxford Hair Foundation. This research foundation was supposed to be independent. However, Procter & Gamble was funding the research. As many of you may know, Procter & Gamble produces and sells beauty products, including red hair dye. So, the so-called independent Oxford Hair Foundation information is suspect and possibly more of an advertising campaign for Procter & Gamble than independent research.

So, that’s the story of redheads. After reading this blog, the next time you pass a redhead in the street, you might smile and think, “The things I know about you.”

And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment

Finding a good song that even mentioned redheads took me a while. Who knew that Jolene was a redhead? Of course she was! Here is the great Dolly Parton singing her hit Jolene. Check out the lyrics for where Dolly describes Jolene’s hair.

Lyrics

"Jolene"
Recorded by Dolly Parton (1973)
Written by Dolly Parton

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can

Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene

He talks about you in his sleep
And there's nothing I can do to keep
From cryin' when he calls your name, Jolene
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can

You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He's the only one for me, Jolene
I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him even though you can
Jolene (Jolene)

The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.

Vocabulary

promote – trans. verb; help forward; encourage; support actively; agree with
stereotype – noun; a person or thing appearing to conform closely to a standardized impression; everyone the same within a group
legitimacy – noun; conforming to a recognized standard; guaranteed true (in this context)
pigment – noun; the natural colouring matter of animal or plant tissue; the natural colour
spot – trans. verb; catch sight of; notice, perceive; see (in this context)
misleading – adjective; giving the wrong idea or impression; something different than what you see or think
plight – noun; a condition, state, or predicament; a bad situation
aside – noun; an incidental remark; a comment that is a change of topic
clarification – noun; make or become clearer; to make clear
derogatory – adjective; involving disparagement or discredit; insulting
prevalent – adjective; generally existing or occurring; common
inequitable – adjective; unfair, unjust; unfair
humorist – noun; a person who is known for his or her humorous writing or talking; a person who writes funny stories
preening – (preen) trans. verb; tidy or admire oneself; good grooming
nosy – adjective; prying; commenting on another’s private affairs
recessive – adjective; Genetics (of an inherited characteristic) appearing in offspring only when not masked by a dominant characteristic; inherited from a parent, but not visible in the parent (in this context)
extinction – noun; the act of making or becoming extinct; will be no more
so-called – adjective; commonly designated or known as, often incorrectly; bad comment about someone’s status or abilities

Comprehension Questions

Are there many different shades of red hair?
Yes or No
Is this post about natural redheads only?
Yes or No
What country has the greatest percentage of redheads?
(a) Nigeria, (b) Japan, (c) Ireland, or (d) China
What country has the greatest number of redheads?
(a) Switzerland, (b) the United States, (c) Brazil, or (d) Russia
What is the rarest eye colour in a person with red hair?
(a) blue, (b) brown, (c) green, or (d) black
Red hairs are the thinnest of all hair colours.
True or False
Who was Mark Twain?
(a) a British singer, (b) a Japanese comedian, (c) a Chinese actor, or (d) an American humourist
To what did Mark Twain compare redheads?
(a) apes, (b) cats, (c) birds, or (d) dogs
Do you have a cat?
Yes or No
Will redheads become extinct?
Yes or No

Answers

Resources

Wikipedia – Red Hair
FactRetriever – 42 Fiery Redhead Facts
I Heart Cats
HowStuffWorks – Are redheads going extinct?