Extinction of Gingers

deevah · 08-20-2009, 11:03 AM

http://www.thestar.com/article/683205

Are days of the redhead numbered?

Heather Slepchik's striking hair colour is at the core of her identity.

Aug 20, 2009 04:30 AM
Trish Crawford
Living Reporter

Heather Slepchik has heard every nickname in the book.

"I've been called carrot top, carrots, freckle face, temper, Anne of Green Gables – lots of stereotype names – including Ginger." Her family calls her "Gingi," Hebrew for red hair.

Being a redhead is at the core of Slepchik's identity, so she was shocked by news reports that redheads could cease to exist within 100 years.

The prediction was based on a study from the Oxford Hair Foundation, which is connected to Procter & Gamble (sellers of hair dye, among many other things). It postulated that the recessive gene – MC1R – that causes red hair was vanishing because growing migration means it is increasingly unlikely for the few people who have the gene to meet and have children.

If that's the case, thought Slepchik, she'd document their dying days for posterity. The result is a film The Last of the Redheads, to be shown this month at the Montreal film festival.

It is both a record and a celebration of being a redhead.

"There was a desire for redheads to connect, if we are going to be extinct," says Slepchik, 25.

She wasn't the only artist spurred into action by the thought we'd have no more kids named Red, Rusty or Ginger.

Photographer Julia Baum's pictures of redheads, on display at the Moi-Même Gallery in New York City, was the direct result of hearing the news.

"I thought, I want to preserve the legacy of redheads and to show other generations what we looked like," says Baum, 25, whose show is titled A Rare Breed.

"I feel redheads have different experiences," says Baum, who is often compared to actress Molly Ringwald. "When I was young, I didn't realize the attention I was getting was unusual. It is interesting to think that your DNA changes who you are, how people perceive you and react to you."

When Dutch artist Bart Rouwenhorst, 38, went looking for red-haired models for his paintings, he was overwhelmed by the response. A fan of artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who often used red-headed models, Rouwenhorst advertised for 15 volunteer models and 150 showed up. And that's how the first Redhead Day (wtf?) was born.

"They said, `If we are going to die out, why not have a big feast,'" says Rouwenhorst, who is expecting 4,000 redheads Sept. 6 (get the protesters ready), at the third annual festival in his hometown of Breda in the Netherlands. Among the celebrants is a red-haired man from Mexico who, apart from three members in his family, knows of no other redheads in his country.

"He feels related to people he has never met. It's a strange connection," Rouwenhorst says.

All this illustrates Slepchik's belief that redheads have pride in their uniqueness.

"I'm as authentic as they come. I have bright red hair, blue eyes, freckles, pale skin and blond eyelashes. I have never had a tan in my life," she says. "It's normal for me to be pointed out. It's invasive and happens on a daily basis. But I would never dye my hair. This is me."

Although the study that raised the possibility that redheads could die out has been disputed – scientists have pointed out recessive genes can skip generations, making an early disappearance unlikely – it nonetheless provided a jumping-off point for Slepchik to form a red-headed fraternity.

Using social media such as Facebook, Slepchik sent out the message that she was looking for people with red hair. In the end, she had a database of more than 100 people interesting in being in her film.

"It gave us a reason to unite, to have fun and talk about it. It was a reason to connect," says artist Victoria Cowan, 25. "I feel bad for the guy or girl who is the last one, the witness to the end."

People with red hair make up only 2 per cent of the population, Slepchick says, so it is unusual to have a situation where many are together. Meeting so many redheads while making the documentary "was therapeutic," she says, as it showed her how similarly they were affected by their unusual hair colour.

Many experience what Slepchik calls "Ugly duckling syndrome" – cursing their red hair when they are young, only to glory in its beauty later.

The highlight of Slepchik's film was a party she held for 20 redheads.

She ramped up the atmosphere with orange lighting, orange drinks and orange food. "I wanted to amplify the social awkwardness for the redheads."

If redheads do die out, then the film and a time capsule filled with their stories will be a testament to their existence, says Slepchik.

If they don't, it has been an opportunity to tell the world what life is like "for those who stand out more than others."

breed them out...fuck a ginger today

Rajio · 08-20-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deevah

Heather Slepchik's striking hair colour is at the core of her identity.

Wow she sounds lamer that DG's mum!

Quote:

Originally Posted by deevah

It is interesting to think that your DNA changes who you are

oh god

zoo · 08-20-2009, 11:14 AM

I'm pretty sure DNA has nothing to do with who we are.

JESuX · 08-20-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deevah

[
Although the study that raised the possibility that redheads could die out has been disputed – scientists have pointed out recessive genes can skip generations, making an early disappearance unlikely – it nonetheless provided a jumping-off point for Slepchik to form a red-headed fraternity.

this.

we're not going anywhere, folks. anyone who knows how to do a punnet square could tell you that... plus red headed genes tend to be even stranger than usual recessive genes: they can skip a couple of generations and move laterally through gene pools. all it takes is two people who have the recessive gene somewhere in the family and sha-bang, gingertown.

Eclectic · 08-20-2009, 11:35 AM

I've always wanted to sleep with a hot green-eyed redhead.

Too bad I have yet to meet one.

ila · 08-20-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eclectic

I've always wanted to sleep with a hot green-eyed redhead.

shouldn't be too hard. red heads sleep with pretty much everyone.

daddyiwantchocolate · 08-20-2009, 11:41 AM

Haha!

janiecakes · 08-20-2009, 11:42 AM

ahahaha

Colm · 08-20-2009, 11:43 AM

Didn't the whole 'Blondes are dying out! Ridhids are dying out!' meme itself die out a few years ago?

edit: There are a lot of red heads in Victoria.

acheron · 08-20-2009, 11:44 AM

So far my brother and I have produced three redheads... His wife is expecting #2 soon so I'll update this thread when that occurs... Either way we're bucking the trend. I'm a redhead and there's lots of red hair on both sides, my wife's father, my mother, uncle and grandfather...

We are doing our part.

JESuX · 08-20-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janiecakes

ahahaha

you won't be laughing when emmet hits his early teens.

ila · 08-20-2009, 11:51 AM

Notice how no gingers are denying it?

JESuX · 08-20-2009, 12:13 PM

whatever, blondie. you're dead to me.

janiecakes · 08-20-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JESuX

you won't be laughing when emmet hits his early teens.

that's ok. he'll impregnate half his high school and i'll raise an army of ginger grandkids.

ila · 08-20-2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JESuX

whatever, blondie. you're dead to me.

there are no rules against throwing balls at your own teammates in dodgeball.

Big Cheese · 08-20-2009, 12:19 PM

:^/

we are pretty skanky, arn't we?

Krzysiu · 08-20-2009, 12:21 PM

see you in hell, riverdale!

praktik · 08-20-2009, 12:25 PM

it will be a sad day for the world when the redheads disappear.

so hot

hopefully auburn hair will be around for a while longer

JESuX · 08-20-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janiecakes

that's ok. he'll impregnate half his high school and i'll raise an army of ginger grandkids.

yes! way to stick it to darwin, jame.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ila

there are no rules against throwing balls at your own teammates in dodgeball.

your threats don't scare me, polska.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Cheese

:^/

we are pretty skanky, arn't we?

heheh.

i am gingery enough to claim my redheadedness when it serves my purpose... but also strawberry-blonde-ish auburn-y enough to bow out when it doesn't.

The Truth · 08-20-2009, 01:42 PM

I think the "negativity" towards gingers/redheads in North America is a farily recently thing started by that South Park espisode a few years ago...but it has been going on in the UK for ages though...

Rajio · 08-20-2009, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Truth

I think the "negativity" towards gingers/redheads in North America is a farily recently thing started by that South Park espisode a few years ago...but it has been going on in the UK for ages though...

?

yeah people with red hair are so trodden upon by society. TAKE THAT JEWS!

smokeyeyes · 08-20-2009, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JESuX

you won't be laughing when emmet hits his early teens.

ahaha!

Quote:

Originally Posted by janiecakes

that's ok. he'll impregnate half his high school and i'll raise an army of ginger grandkids.

AHAHAHA!

H2Whoa · 08-20-2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ila

shouldn't be too hard. red heads sleep with pretty much everyone.

100% true

AgentSanchez · 08-20-2009, 03:13 PM

phew....

I read the thread title and thought maybe the restaurants were closing...

Ms. Fit · 08-20-2009, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JESuX

this.

we're not going anywhere, folks. anyone who knows how to do a punnet square could tell you that... plus red headed genes tend to be even stranger than usual recessive genes: they can skip a couple of generations and move laterally through gene pools. all it takes is two people who have the recessive gene somewhere in the family and sha-bang, gingertown.

guy, my ex's cousin is mixed black and white: she has the usual tan/mocha skin PLUS deep red hair and blue-green eyes. it's really insane. you can't even BREED gingers out, towards extinction - they ain't goin' anywhere.

08-20-2009, 11:03 AM	#1
deevah Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: (Pack, Unpack) repeat Posts: 15,988	Extinction of Gingers http://www.thestar.com/article/683205 Are days of the redhead numbered? Heather Slepchik's striking hair colour is at the core of her identity. Aug 20, 2009 04:30 AM Trish Crawford Living Reporter Heather Slepchik has heard every nickname in the book. "I've been called carrot top, carrots, freckle face, temper, Anne of Green Gables – lots of stereotype names – including Ginger." Her family calls her "Gingi," Hebrew for red hair. Being a redhead is at the core of Slepchik's identity, so she was shocked by news reports that redheads could cease to exist within 100 years. The prediction was based on a study from the Oxford Hair Foundation, which is connected to Procter & Gamble (sellers of hair dye, among many other things). It postulated that the recessive gene – MC1R – that causes red hair was vanishing because growing migration means it is increasingly unlikely for the few people who have the gene to meet and have children. If that's the case, thought Slepchik, she'd document their dying days for posterity. The result is a film The Last of the Redheads, to be shown this month at the Montreal film festival. It is both a record and a celebration of being a redhead. "There was a desire for redheads to connect, if we are going to be extinct," says Slepchik, 25. She wasn't the only artist spurred into action by the thought we'd have no more kids named Red, Rusty or Ginger. Photographer Julia Baum's pictures of redheads, on display at the Moi-Même Gallery in New York City, was the direct result of hearing the news. "I thought, I want to preserve the legacy of redheads and to show other generations what we looked like," says Baum, 25, whose show is titled A Rare Breed. "I feel redheads have different experiences," says Baum, who is often compared to actress Molly Ringwald. "When I was young, I didn't realize the attention I was getting was unusual. It is interesting to think that your DNA changes who you are, how people perceive you and react to you." When Dutch artist Bart Rouwenhorst, 38, went looking for red-haired models for his paintings, he was overwhelmed by the response. A fan of artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who often used red-headed models, Rouwenhorst advertised for 15 volunteer models and 150 showed up. And that's how the first Redhead Day (wtf?) was born. "They said, `If we are going to die out, why not have a big feast,'" says Rouwenhorst, who is expecting 4,000 redheads Sept. 6 (get the protesters ready), at the third annual festival in his hometown of Breda in the Netherlands. Among the celebrants is a red-haired man from Mexico who, apart from three members in his family, knows of no other redheads in his country. "He feels related to people he has never met. It's a strange connection," Rouwenhorst says. All this illustrates Slepchik's belief that redheads have pride in their uniqueness. "I'm as authentic as they come. I have bright red hair, blue eyes, freckles, pale skin and blond eyelashes. I have never had a tan in my life," she says. "It's normal for me to be pointed out. It's invasive and happens on a daily basis. But I would never dye my hair. This is me." Although the study that raised the possibility that redheads could die out has been disputed – scientists have pointed out recessive genes can skip generations, making an early disappearance unlikely – it nonetheless provided a jumping-off point for Slepchik to form a red-headed fraternity. Using social media such as Facebook, Slepchik sent out the message that she was looking for people with red hair. In the end, she had a database of more than 100 people interesting in being in her film. "It gave us a reason to unite, to have fun and talk about it. It was a reason to connect," says artist Victoria Cowan, 25. "I feel bad for the guy or girl who is the last one, the witness to the end." People with red hair make up only 2 per cent of the population, Slepchick says, so it is unusual to have a situation where many are together. Meeting so many redheads while making the documentary "was therapeutic," she says, as it showed her how similarly they were affected by their unusual hair colour. Many experience what Slepchik calls "Ugly duckling syndrome" – cursing their red hair when they are young, only to glory in its beauty later. The highlight of Slepchik's film was a party she held for 20 redheads. She ramped up the atmosphere with orange lighting, orange drinks and orange food. "I wanted to amplify the social awkwardness for the redheads." If redheads do die out, then the film and a time capsule filled with their stories will be a testament to their existence, says Slepchik. If they don't, it has been an opportunity to tell the world what life is like "for those who stand out more than others." breed them out...fuck a ginger today

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08-20-2009, 11:14 AM	#3
zoo Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: putting swords in scabbards Posts: 33,231	I'm pretty sure DNA has nothing to do with who we are.

08-20-2009, 11:35 AM	#5
Eclectic Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Saskatoooooooooon! Posts: 14,380	I've always wanted to sleep with a hot green-eyed redhead. Too bad I have yet to meet one.

08-20-2009, 11:41 AM	#7
daddyiwantchocolate Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: ♥'s ๏̯͡๏﴿ Posts: 41,038	Haha!

08-20-2009, 11:42 AM	#8
janiecakes Member Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: don't neg me bro Posts: 25,014	ahahaha

08-20-2009, 11:43 AM	#9
Colm Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Victorizla Posts: 4,995	Didn't the whole 'Blondes are dying out! Ridhids are dying out!' meme itself die out a few years ago? edit: There are a lot of red heads in Victoria.

08-20-2009, 11:44 AM	#10
acheron Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Aisle 7 Posts: 18,114	So far my brother and I have produced three redheads... His wife is expecting #2 soon so I'll update this thread when that occurs... Either way we're bucking the trend. I'm a redhead and there's lots of red hair on both sides, my wife's father, my mother, uncle and grandfather... We are doing our part.

08-20-2009, 11:51 AM	#12
ila Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 9,535	Notice how no gingers are denying it?

08-20-2009, 12:13 PM	#13
JESuX Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Say, do you like fish dicks? Posts: 27,869	whatever, blondie. you're dead to me.

08-20-2009, 12:19 PM	#16
Big Cheese Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 8,492	:^/ we are pretty skanky, arn't we?

08-20-2009, 12:21 PM	#17
Krzysiu Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: I'm your dancefloor crush Posts: 38,484	see you in hell, riverdale!

08-20-2009, 12:25 PM	#18
praktik Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Up ur nose and around the corner! Posts: 7,619	it will be a sad day for the world when the redheads disappear. so hot hopefully auburn hair will be around for a while longer

08-20-2009, 01:42 PM	#20
The Truth Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 2,420	I think the "negativity" towards gingers/redheads in North America is a farily recently thing started by that South Park espisode a few years ago...but it has been going on in the UK for ages though...

08-20-2009, 03:13 PM	#24
AgentSanchez Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: In your head. Posts: 2,800	phew.... I read the thread title and thought maybe the restaurants were closing...