A little warning: I haven’t become a foody-blogger! All will become clear…
Every day is one to celebrate, some days need a little more fanfare…
It’s National Gingernut Day!
I believe it’s only fitting we take a second together, join virtual hands and be thankful for the lovable-dunkable-eat-a-packet-with-one-brew biscuit!
Hi, my name is Dawn, I’m a ginger.
A red-head.
A strawberry-blond.
Jealous? See, no matter how good the hair dye, ginger is a real toughie to replicate with ammonia, diaminobenzenes, phenylenediamines, resorcinol and phenols, it never looks natural!
Today I’m proud of my Ginger Roots (Roots, do you get it? Roots as in hair, roots as in belonging, a little word play there, clever me.)
Back in the days of bullying, whoops, I meant school I didn’t feel the same way about my golden lush lockets.
For years I got called:
- Genghis Khan – did he actually have red hair?
- Duracell – as in the battery, with the ‘copper’ coloured top. Funny. Not.
- Orangu-turd – like an orangutan but with ‘turd’ on the end making out that peeps with ginger hair are poo-ey people.
- Ginga Ninja – I quite liked that one, and I think that’s where the member of staff at Pixar/Disney, obviously a ginger themselves and after a few too many, got the idea for their new additon Brave. I’m even thinking they based it on me. I’m mean she’s Scottish too, just like me.
- Ginger Minger – the worst. Minger being a Scottish word which means ‘you dirty lush’. But then again, said in a Scottish accent, it does have nice ring to it.
- Shrek – which is a recent one I was personally called, that must be a new one for the ginger haired children today.
- Fireman – yeah, my sides are splitting.
- Ketchup Kipper – I got the ketchup part. But kipper ( a Scottish word for herring!) I didn’t get, unless I smelled of fish too. Which I didn’t.
…and a wheen of others and of course Ginger Nut, seeing how this is all flowing together nicely now?
Feck, I do realise that I have just created a reference sheet for bullies to call their Ginger classmates. Darn.
Anyhoo, for 20 years I tried to get rid and cover up the Ginger Minger. It’s been every shade of L’Oreal blond – no’s 22, 25, 42, 123, 171 to colour infinity.
It’s been hennaed, cut, bleached, permed and during my exploration of inner self years (read –> bumming about travelling in the US ) it was dreaded and braided.
And yet, here I am. Today. A Naked Ginger.
I want to say the colour of my hair isn’t important. But it was aged 5 – 16, this video sums it up:
Come, Just As You Are
Hair colour was one of the things that I wanted to change so that I could just fit in and be like everyone else, where I didn’t have to worry that I may be taken by surprise at words spat, sometimes from strangers.
What’s yours? Feel free to comment below.
What parts of you are you trying to cover up because you want to be accepted and fit in? What are you not saying (or writing, producing, creating) because you aren’t yet accepting your true colours?
Where in life are you conforming to the pressure of rules and expecations of others?
What do you want to share but are holding yourself back because playing it safe and not allowing people to see your ‘ginger hair’ is a safer route?
You can’t be every shade to please everyone. Hair-dye fades, it grows out, they aren’t ever permanent. When we pretend to be something we aren’t, the veil slowly slips, and it’s so tiring trying to keep it in place.
There’s no need to try and replicate anyone or anything. What matters is what you are, not what you are called.
Come. You’re good enough. Just as you are.
And repeat after me. I’m dunkable!
PS: If you are scared to put the real you out there, remember to get your copy of Dare to Be You, just click the link.
I love this, love it, love it…this is a timely topic with all the bullying taking place. Funny how hair can be such a challenge – it’s like going gray. The pressures to color and dye because I’m letting myself go.
Hey Jessica, ‘pleased to meet you’ — you and me both. According to my mother, after grey it’s baldness! Great! Let it go, let it out (let it hang!), ah age how I love thee. xxx
Because I am allergic to many things, I will not be dying my hair. I look forward to seeing more of you on the Challenge.
Great post! I feel very welcome to come as I am–old, retired child care provider, I am.
Hey Pamm, thanks for stopping, it’s such a nice phrase — Just as I am — always best. Are you looking forward to the UBC? I am, so many fabby blogs. See you out there, :-)
Love this, Dawn! I built two different businesses that ultimately made me miserable because I was trying to fit into the image that others had of me. Epic fail!
I’m with you on this one and am now happy to own who I am. And yes, “I’n dunkable!”
Cheers,
Kim
Hey Kim, I’m with you too! Built a business and hated it. Blog post coming about that one. Same, couldn’t keep up, nor wear the business ‘suit’ inside and out. Lovely to meet you, heading to your ‘house’ in a mo. Dawn xxx
I am dunkable, baby. Oh…there was so much I tried hide growing up. But you can only shove an inner-tube under water for so long. At some point it’s gunna spring to the surface.
I fought against using a white cane for a long time. I didn’t want to “look blind.” Fact is, without my cane, I look drunk. Blind, it turns out, is a step up.
Bigger still was my challenges with reading and writing print material. My spelling is still so very bad. But I used to go to extreme measures not to be put into a situation where I had to fill out a form or write something on the spot.
There is no hiding my true colors now!
Hey Rachel, thanks for stopping. A friend of mine — same thing — hearing aids, would not wear them – she didn’t want people to know. Spelling — ahhhh! Being dyslexic,I’m with you — which I kept hidden as best I could until last year. Then in March someone outed me on Twitter. That would be that BS rested then. Away to pronagger now, happy blogging, see you out there.
Dawn
PS: A question, can you comment on the fonts here? Are they big enough? I’ve yet to find a good enough plugin, that a) works! b) doesn’t need a desktop application. Your thoughts most welcome. x
Dawn,
I love this post! I took my two daughters to see Brave the other day as a birthday celebration for my newly turned 19 year old. We talked about how wonderful it was that the Disney Princess mold had been shattered…by a Ginger!
I’m looking forward to journeying with you as I learn and grow in daring to be me…under my pseudonym of course.
Kina
It would be so COOL if I can add in 10 years time ‘words people call Ginger peeps’ – BRAVE! I am so looking forward to the movie, may even get a perm for the occasion! Disey Princess — PAH! Oh, there’s a blog post idea! xxx Have a great month, see you out there, here, wherever. x
You’re funny! I don’t have ginger hair, but I have black skin. I didn’t get teased about my skin color, but got teased because I “talked white” – whatever that’s supposed to mean! Ultimately you gotta learn to just love who and what you are.
Great article! Congratz on Day 1 of the Challenge. ~emma
I am dunkable. I can totally relate, I never liked my frizzy hair growing up, accompanied by taunts of being a nachita (having natural hair). I couldn’t wait to leave high school, when my mum would agree to let me relax it and have it all straight.
Now I’m growing it out so i can cut off the permed hair; looking forward to my hair being revealed in all its frizzy glory.
Thanks for commenting Sisi, here’s to frizzy hair, I can relate. :-) xxx
I really love this post, In our younger years, when peer pressure affected us so, what others said to us or teased us about really could hurt and scar. I myself was teased endlessly. I lover the comment “Come As You Are” it is so accepting and welcoming. I look forward to more of your post.
Hey David, totally — scars can remain for a life time. I’m glad you ‘came as you are’ too! Happy posting, going to nip to your online home in a bitty. xxx
Love this post! Your writing style is fun – makes me want to read all of your posts!
“Just as you are” is something I fully believe in but still need to internalize for myself. It’s a process – daily.
I’m glad the UBC “introduced” me to you and your blog. Looking forward to your next post.
Amy
Hey Amy, thank you. Your a VA, so few and far between in the UK, many people haven’t heard of. Making my way to yours in a mo. You’re welcome to stop by any time. xxx
Hey you, how awful moldy bread, that must’ve been horrible. Thanks for commenting, me too — looking forward to seeing, feel I have to now. Shall we come back and compare notes anon? xx
Love this Dawn! We all have something like this, although not always so physically obvious. Being from an immigrant family and living in a WASPy neighbourhood, I felt so conspicuous by my Italian name, Santina. My mom helped by giving me the nickname Sandi early on. But that didn’t stop the mean kids from doing their thing.
Of all those names I was called, my favourite was the Great Santini! At least it gave me the feeling of being a magician ;)
Santini, lovely. May I? How are you diddling? Isn’t it funny how some roles (Magician) stick into adulthood! Performer of magic (nice magic) not dark mysterious magic, a tranformer of one thing into another…ahhhh. ;-) xxx
Dawn,
I mostly use a screen reader so type size doesn’t matter when I’m listening. When I’m using my eyes, larger type is always nice. If you find a plugin that works PLEASE let me know! Thank you for thinking about accessibility on your site.
Oh and here’s to not hiding out behind dyslexia and print disabilities. Shine baby! Dunk on.
I feel misunderstood because I am a quiet person. I am not a bubbly person that joins in with all the banter, but I feel people generally think less of me for being different.
Thank you for this, from a fellow redhead I know exactly what you mean. I’m still trying to figure out what is causing my confidence issues but being labelled a freak by some can’t have helped.