I have been reprimanded by a reader of ginger persuasion for failing to mention two significant days in the calendar for those of us who have grown up saddled with nicknames like "Ginger Nut", "Ginger Bonce", "Tomato Head", "Carrot Top", not to mention "Freckle Face". I plead guilty to allowing the recent "Cuddle a Ginger Day" and "World Redhead Day" slip by without a single bleat in support of gingers.
As a kid I hated my ginger hair because it meant you always got picked on by bullies just for looking different. I would have much preferred an anonymous mousy brown or black thatch. It was also hugely embarrassing when well-meaning aunties commented on my "cute ginger curls". Yet these days I see Thai teens dyeing their beautiful black hair in assorted shades of ginger and orange. Oh well.
A few years ago in Edinburgh they held a lively street protest against "gingerism", the perceived prejudice or discrimination against people with natural red, or more likely, ginger hair. One poster read " All Hail To The Red, Orange and Pale" and another offered "Keep Calm and Ginger On." Even ginger dogs got in on the act, wearing smart "Justice For Gingers" waistcoats.
.png?w=600)
