MountainMornings

Just sent my friend from high school, the only other redhead in our class, a Huffington Post article titled “Being a Redhead: Why it’s a Love-Hate Relationship.” It talks about the common theme of feeling different, even scorned by our peers.

For most of us Titian-types, we would have gladly dyed our hair a darker camouflage color. I can remember desperately wanting black hair in Sacred Heart School; I felt like a beacon for any nun’s wrath sitting there in my dark maroon (think blood colored) uniform, hands clasped together on desk, a bow tie at my neck, with my halo of strawberry blonde hair. The Post author, Katherine Bindley, takes the historic view: “…red hair is often the mark of sin. The roster of corrupted redheads includes Eve, after she had been seduced by Satan, Cain, after he offed his brother, and everyone’s favorite disciple, Judas. Redheaded Mary Magdalenes are also common, emphasizing what a harlot Jesus had the compassion to befriend.” There is even a term coined in the UK for hatred of redheaded people – gingerism.

Cut to today. It was my man, Bob, coming up out of anesthesia after yet another shoulder surgery, who turned to the recovery room nurse and asked for his wife, “The Redhead,” in the waiting room. At that point my golden highlights had pretty much morphed into an ashy grey white, and I decided to turn back the clock and embrace my redheadedness. I dove wantonly right into the depths of red high and lowlights, wanting to look more or less like myself for the wedding photos. Will the true Gingers among us please standup! Could we reds become extinct soon? I was the only child, out of six, to have red hair. My Mother, the Flapper, was a blonde. But my Grandmother was a redhead. Here is the genetic mumbo jumbo from the website How Stuff Works:

“Red hair is caused by a mutation in the MC1R gene. It’s also a recessive trait, so it takes both parents passing on a mutated version of the MC1R gene to produce a redheaded child. Because it’s a recessive trait, red hair can easily skip a generation. It can then reappear after skipping one or more generations if both parents, no matter their hair color, carry the red hair gene.” All is not lost! The Rocker’s beard is mahogany and the Groom, being part Irish…it’s time to take back our red roots. Claim the color ladies, bottle or not. Look at our cousin, the angelic redheaded Flower Girl. It’s time to teach our children that different=delightful.