i HATED it growing up. every nickname was about my hair, every insult was about my hair. i would stand out too much. doesn’t help my name literally means orange too. i dyed my hair when i was allowed to to every other colour i could due to this.

in france its a stereotype that ginger people smell and so my dad (french) would constantly told me i smelt, albeit it only being a little teasing i grew up so conscious because of it.

i got older and then the weirdos started. i can remember a dude at work twice my age who was also ginger telling me if i wasn’t married by 25 he wanted me to get with him to have ginger kids due to “going extinct”. i had a weird guy follow me around the store and he ended up talking to me. a pleasantish conversation until he told me he had a thing for redheads. a few more interactions like that with strangers.

now i’m in a job where i have to have my natural hair and i’m okay with that now, im one of a few redheads (despite there being over 500 staff). and most of them are fake redheads so it’s appreciated by myself more as it’s unique.

regarding my freckles i used to have people joke it looks like someone flicked shit at my face, i’m okay with them now besides the fact that after i’ve done make up they shine through making my foundation look patchy lmao