On Redheads

The little exchanges on redheads in another post prompted this reflection. When I first moved to a Slav country – Serbia – I noticed that the prevalence of Blonde and Red hair, and Blue and Green eyes is much greater in Slav populations than amongst the English. I say English because it seems that redheads are more common amongst the Scots and Irish, though not blondes, I think?

It also seems that blonde and red hair, and blue and green eyes are found more often in women than men – though that might be observational bias 🙂 I don’t think so, though, just running all the familiar faces from the office through my mind seems to confirm it. Anyway, these are all stock photos, except the lady in the red top :-)but they give an idea – all mature ladies, note, no barbies or bimbos here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

30 thoughts on “On Redheads”

  1. Very few redheads down here, ………sigh!! 😦

    My brother did own a Cocker Spaniel once!

  3. Janus. All of them. I have been looking for shots of some of the most surprising or impressive colourings – flame reds, natural Titians, silver/white blondes and eyes that are, literally, gem-like, emeralds, jades, aqua-marines, saphires. lapis…. Really!

  4. I went out with a redhead once. No hair, just a red head.

    Boom freaking boom. 🙂

  5. Toc, that rings a bell. I suffered a nasty scalp infection some years ago. Treatment – shave the head and paint it with mercurochrome…

  7. Jeez, are you guys playing with fire. It’ll all end in tears you know, when the boss wakes up.

    OZ

  9. Toc, indeed I do 🙂

    OZ, why – it’s all entirely complimentary 🙂

    Just had to go out for some bread – not at the office today, packers are in – about a 700 yard round trip to the baker and I saw 15 blondes, 15 redheads and only three blonde guys. There were more of each for the ladies, but these were the ones I passed closely enough to be reasonable sure they were naturals.

  10. Bravo.
    Interesting survey. The daughter of one of my friends has the most incredible eyes. They are huge, almond shaped and sort of tawny coloured, like a lion. She has dark blond hair. Very striking young lady.

    Is it blond, or blonde? I can’t decide which one looks right!

  15. Bravo, you can’t be sure your pinups are real redheads/blondes unless you have checked yourself! 😉

  18. bravo22c :

    M :

    This straight woman would totally make an exception here.

    What?

    Would that be a FileNotFoundException or an DivideByZeroException?

  19. It’s the result of the vikings, I’ve heard. Who ruled northwestern parts of Russia from 900 to 1600. There seems to be debate over whether the word Russia comes from the Finnish for Viking or Greek for people. Of course, it could be just northern peoples’ lack of melanin in general. Trust science and history to take the fun out of anything.

  20. But, but, they ruled swathes of East and N. East England, too…

    But why more women than men?

    FEEG, or the exception that proves the rule? (OK, hands up anyone who doesn’t know what ‘proves’ means in that saying?)

  21. By the way, number 1 redhead is definitely not. And unbeknownst to many men women like to lighten their hair. Never been to Russia but the Swedish are staggeringly blond and blonde.

  22. I note in Canada, the favourite hair dye is red.

    My father was Titan red with gold ‘lion’ eyes, the boy paler red with grey eyes, two nephews with that sandy red colour with grey eyes and my brother the same. No women in the family with red hair.
    Ancestrally my father’s family came from the North Norfolk coast the Danelaw area and were recorded as two of them fighting at Agincourt from the area. So straight male linear descent of the trait.

    What is it about women that they so very rarely ever are satisfied with the colouring/size/shape that they are given?
    Never understood it, if they devoted half the time they spend mucking about with themselves to doing something useful the world might be a much better place or might not considering the birdbrained capacity of most of them! I have one friend that has a different hair colour every month, why she bothers God alone knows!

  24. sounds cliched, but I’ve always been struck by the olive skin and dark eyes of the French.
    But to them, the blue eyes and pale skin of the English is lovely; I suppose it’s the grass is greener syndrome!

  27. christinaosborne :

    What is it about women that they so very rarely ever are satisfied with the colouring/size/shape that they are given?

    There’s a whole industry out there dedicated to making women feel bad about how they look.

  28. M; yes! But it’s the age old question isn’t it? Does ‘the industry’/society feed women’s insecurities, or do women create them themselves?

  29. I’d go for the latter, myself. My historical research has unearthed beautifying practices from times and cultures long past, that would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment today. The industry alternatives seem humane by comparison.

  30. Really? Such as…?! The mind boggles. You should do a blog on it!
    I don’t know, I really don’t. I’ve read the Beauty Myth and think it’s an incredibly powerful and convincing work which seeks to persuade us that it’s all a big con/conspiracy, in line with every feminine myth that’s gone before…
    I almost swallowed it, hook line and sinker, the belief that society undermines/oppresses women through the beauty myth and insidious advertising.. But then an American friend once pointed out, ‘But you are you. And this is me. We have a choice; we don’t have to buy any of it.’
    And yes, no one forces us to buy hair dye, to do the Atkin’s diet or to wear lipstick…so maybe it is down to individual choice rather than some great conspiracy.

Add your Comment