Being a redhead ain't easy. My childhood consisted of a never ending debate amongst my classmates: do you or do you not have a soul? Oh and let's not forget about the women at the grocery store who refuse to let me forget that people pay a lot of money to get their hair to look like my shade of red, or the weird gentlemen who swear their hair used to look just like mine when they were younger.
Okay, so now that I think about it, being a redhead really isn't all that hard but I think this realization comes from my nearly 20 years of living the redhead life. In fact, being a redhead is actually pretty damn cool.
So this one goes out to all my gingers (and redhead enthusiasts): a list of things that make redheads way cooler than everyone else.
1. Red-headedness is a genetic mutation.
You can say a lot about redheads, like that we don't have souls or we're blood-sucking vampires (both of which I can say are not true). But what you can say about redheads is that we are literally have a genetic mutation. The gene that causes red hair comes from the MC1R, which makes us mutants. So yes, I stand in ginger solidarity with J-Law in "X-Men" and our recessive genes are sexy as hell.
2. Redheads don't gray.
You heard it right folks, red hair does not gray (try not to be jealous)! Red hair holds more pigment, which means as we age, our hair simply fades into a shimmery white. All I have to say about this one is "Hell yeah!"
3. Redheads are temperature-sensitive.
Yes, redheads are hot but that's not what this means. Redheads are actually more sensitive to hot and cold pain. Now I can't say that I've experienced this one firsthand but I'll take the ginger god's word for it.
4. Redheads produce more vitamin D.
This one's a blessing and a curse. Redheads are basically vitamin D-producing machines, which means that we don't need as much sunlight as our blonde and brunette buddies. I have to be honest with you, I write #4 with a little bitterness (scratch that––a lot of bitterness) as I am currently suffering from a sunburn that refuses to to turn into a tan. So I am resenting my red-headedness right about now.
5. Redheads require more anesthetics.
This is code for gingers are badasses. The anesthetics requirement is increased for redheads. In fact, they require 20% more. It goes back to that darn MC1R gene––we have an insanely high tolerance for pain so bring it on, doc!
The list of rad redhead facts could go on and on, but I'm gonna keep it short and sweet. Whether you're reading this as a fellow redhead or not, take these fun facts out into the world––share your sunscreen, give an extra Advil, or compliment a ginger on their radiant recessive-ness!
