For hundreds of years, gingers have roamed communities and stuck out in crowds. From deep auburn colors to fiery orange, they have been a target of teasing and bullying. The age-long question has yet to be answered: Why are gingers hated? Some say that it’s a trend that circulates through generations of teenagers while others believe it has deeper roots and a more historic past.
“I was told during the witch trials that [gingers] were condemned as witches because they had different colored hair and pale skin,” Senior Madyson Nelson shared regarding the origin of ginger hate. “But they are people just like the rest of us.”
Hundreds of years ago during various witch trials, gingers were said to have stolen the fire from Hell, which gave them their red hair, and many Christians believed that redheads were associated with the devil and satanic practices. If it’s not witches, then it’s something else. Other ancient beliefs, like some Greeks, believed that people with red hair turned into vampires after they died. At the very least in ancient times, red hair was considered an unlucky trait.
All these stories tie into a popular notion that “gingers don’t have souls,” according to junior, Sofia Flores.
There’s no doubt that the historical myths about gingers are part of what influences the hate towards them today, but some people may not know of the origins and have their own opinions.
“They are gingers,” junior Kai Johnson said. “Their hair is so bright it reflects the sun. You can get hurt just looking at a ginger for too long. They are a safety hazard to your eyes.”
Junior Mira Rust-Kelley shared her first-hand experience having red hair.
“People are like, ‘Well it’s because you’re a ginger,” Rust-Kelley said. “They blame my attitude on me being a ginger.”
She also said that people will make “weird” comments about it. Despite the backlash she gets, she’s glad to have red hair.
Some people may present themselves as haters, while in reality they only playfully tease their friends.
“If someone teases them cause they’re friends, then I understand that,” Nelson said. “If someone’s actually hating on gingers just to be mean, then it’s not okay.”
From referencing the ginger pop-star, Ed Sheeran, to asking where the pot of gold is, to anywhere in between, it’s an agreed-upon statement that “as long as gingers live, people will make fun of them” for one reason or another.
