In the dictionary, ginger is defined as "a hot fragrant spice made from the rhizome of a plant that is chopped or powdered for cooking, preserved in syrup, or candied”. While this definition still remains, another meaning for the word has developed over time. The term ginger is also used to describe individuals with red hair, light skin and freckles.
A redhead’s fiery appearance is a result of a mutation in the MC1R protein. This mutation can be linked to two copies of the recessive gene found on chromosome 16. Only 1-2 percent of the world is endowed with this special trait, and only 1 percent with a combiniation of red hair and blue eyes. Statistically speaking, I am as rare as a four-leaf clover.
Despite the fact that we are technically mutants, redheads prove to demonstrate a few interesting capabilities and features. We are said to have fewer hairs than any other person, ranking in at 90k compared to a blonde's 140k. We are also said to have a higher pain tolerance even though we tend to bruise easier than those with darker pigmentation. I have indubitably taken notice of this over the course of my childhood and athletic career as I am known to bruise like a pear after even the slightest amount of contact and am more upset over sitting out than the pain of any injury itself. (Even my broken nose.) Also, redheads are hard to sedate because they require 20 percent more anesthesia when enduring medical treatments.
Back in the day, redheads were thought to be witches and were burned for “stealing the fires of hell”. Although not to this extent, ginger discrimination is still prevalent today. Some people dislike gingers for reasons unknown or not specified. Others feel sympathetic toward us pale-bodied folk because we are, in some ways, outcasts in society. I, however, revel in my ability to stand out and refuse to see it as a hindrance of any kind; except for when I’m emptying a bottle of SPF 100 at the beach.
“Kick a Ginger Day” manifested on Facebook a while back, encouraging students to kick their fellow ginger classmates simply because they look different. One needn’t explain why the mere idea of this is wrong. Comedy Central’s “South Park” dedicated an entire episode to gingers, speaking negatively on their existence and exposing the fact that gingers apparently don’t have souls. "Summer Heights High" coined the term “Ranga” after referring to a redheaded character on the show as an orangutan. My family members have even gone as far as to bestow this nickname upon me. The only thing to do is laugh along and stay light hearted. Life is entirely too short to stress over things we cannot control or change, even if your brothers and sisters call you a primate.
People can kid, people can say I don’t have a soul, and people can call me a Ranga. In fact, they can call me whatever they want. At the end of the day, I know who I am and I know that I have been blessed with a gift, even if society refuses to see it as one. Life is about more than what you see in the mirror and what others see you as. It’s about how you conduct yourself and how you relate to others, and that comes from within.
We gingers are beautiful, different and unique, and that is nothing to ever be ashamed of.
