"Redheads are dying out, man . . ."

[ShinyGreenApple]

I can't really complain about yesterday a whole lot; Sundays are usually filled with good-natured customers at my store. It's around a quarter to seven in the morning, and as I'm pondering the fact that whomever decided the store needs to be open at 6AM should be punished badly, a guy walks up to my register. Young, but he had a long goatee, lots of piercings, and holes ripped in the knees of his jeans, but no big deal, right?

I wish.

As I'm ringing him up, he looks as if he's dying to ask me something, and finally does so when he pays. I have red hair. So does he - this is important, I promise.

Hippy guy: "Um . . . I want to ask you, were both of your parents redheaded?"

Me: "Well, I'm adopted, but we're pretty sure that my mother was blonde and my dad was a redhead."

HG: "Oh . . . . well, I asked because see, someone told me that redheads are like, dying out, man. And my girlfriend is blonde so I was wondering if our baby would too, cause they keep saying that we're dying out. My hair used to be the same exact color as yours, but it got darker and darker, but when I'm in the sun a lot . . . yeah. And my sister, hers is just like yours except brighter red."

Me: *laughs* "Oh, I'd hardly say that, there are lots of us in this town alone. We're quite a thriving breed, actually."

HG: "Yeah, but I still think that we're dwindling. They keep saying there are less and less of us!"

Me: (growing a bit concerned for his mental health at that point) "I really don't think so."

HG: "Whew, I hope not! 'Cause that would suck, man."

By now, I'm desperately hoping that more early bird customers would be ready to check out, as I was the only cashier in the store. Never before have I been so glad to see them. I'm just glad I chose not to bring up the subject that in medieval days, redheads were thought to be witches and burned at the stake. Who knows what he might have started going on about.

Just . . . wow.

Slightly OT, but what is it with people and redheads? I can be walking around with a friend or family member, a little redheaded kid walks by, and the person I'm with has to make the statement, "Oh look, it's your little sister/brother!"

I've even had one customer go on saying that I was some sort of magical fairy or nymph, "Because everyone knows that people with red hair and green eyes has magical properties!"

[CancelMyService]

Red hair is caused by a recessive gene that I did hear was slowy dying out. Not like in a year, but there's apparently reason to believe that redheads at some point will become an oddity like albinos.

The more racist latch on to that as justification for being against interracial coupling ("ruining the stock" I suppose, I never understand racist thinking), so you should probably be glad your run in was just with a stoner dude and not a junior Klansman.

[Canarr]

Same goes for blondes. Blond/red genes are recessive, dark are dominant. Thus, in theory, at some point in time, there'd be no blondes and redheads left.

Considering, though, that there are still blond people born on Sicily, where the last influx of blond genes came from the Vikings around 800 years ago and there's quite the majority of dark-haired people, I'd say blondes and redheads are probably going to be around for a while yet.

[sportsmom]

Hair color is an odd thing. I am a dark blonde now, but my hair was almost white when I was little, my hubby is a redhead (every time he goes to someone new to cut his hair they gush over how gorgeous it is, it's disgusting I tell you.), and all three of our daughters were born with red hair.

Now, we are the parents to three blondes of varying shades. The oldest lost all her hair by the time she was 3 months old, then she was bald until the age of 2 and now she has a head full of gorgeous blonde hair with the most beautiful gold and red highlights. The middle one never lost her hair, but at the age of 18 months, it started growing blonde. For several months it looked as if we had dyed her hair because there was an obvious line where it had started growing from red to blonde. The youngest just gradually faded from red to blonde, but it's still rather strawberry out in the sun, so the hubster is still holding out hope that it will darken back to red, or at least reddish.

Poor guy, all he wanted was one red headed daughter and they all got snatched away from him. Darn me and my blonde genes anyway.

[Ciarrai]

People have told me that too (I have dark red hair), but then I just tell them that redheads will never die out, since so many people are redheads from a box now.

[Gravekeeper]

I'd be more worried about intelligent people dying out. Whenever I look around that seems to be a much more glaring problem. >.>

I was horrifically blond as a kid. But my hair's gotten darker and darker as I've gotten older. I have girl hair though. >< It's very light/soft. Female friends inform me they would take the life of others for it. It use to be *very* long. Right to my waist long. I finally started cutting it shorter and to this day ( 6 years later ) one of my friends *still* laments about it and asks why I cut it when it was so "gorgeous".

I don't want to be "gorgeous". Have you ever had a female coworker *sniff* your hair? "Oh, it smells so nice! and its so soft! What do you wash it with?". So yeah, its short now. =p

I tried buzzing it off completely a year or two ago to see if it would grow back a bit heavier. Didn't really help. I just keep it buzzed short now. Although last week my mom of all people ( Whom originally wasn't fond of me wanting to grow my hair out ) told me she liked it when it was medium length ( Around my chin ). So now even she thinks I should start growing it out again.

<whimper>

[BookstoreEscapee]

I was born with dark brown hair, then turned red, then just brown. If I spend time in the sun the reddish highlights come out. If I were going to pick a color it would be red (I have dyed it but it's so messy to do it myself and so expensive to have it done so I don't usually bother). My grandmother had red hair, though.

My dad was born really blond, and by the time he was an adult it had darkened to dark brown. My brother also was born really blond and now is dark blondish-brown (he's 34). I have a cousin whose son was born with 2-inch long almost black hair, but it turned pretty quickly to brown (a little darker than mine). It's pretty obvious we're all related when we get together :b

[Becks]

I've even had one customer go on saying that I was some sort of magical fairy or nymph, "Because everyone knows that people with red hair and green eyes has magical properties!"

I wish someone would say that to me. I think that's an awesome thing to have someone say to another person.

People have told me that too (I have dark red hair), but then I just tell them that redheads will never die out, since so many people are redheads from a box now.

Hey!!! I slightly resemble that remark!!!!!!

Let me explain. Most of the babies in my family, going back however many generations, were born blonde. I can think of only three exceptions...two of my nieces and one of my nephews. Anyhoo. Most of us didn't stay blondes. One of my older sisters has dark brown/black hair. My twin sister and I have reddish/blondish/brownish (with me, also add gray, silver and the occasional strand of black) hair. I even still have a natural blonde streak.

However, I sometimes like to have my hair TRY to be one color, so I dye it. I prefer weird shades of red and burgundy.

[Tria]

IMy twin sister and I have reddish/blondish/brownish (with me, also add gray, silver and the occasional strand of black) hair. I even still have a natural blonde streak.

Heh, had a teacher in school once.... And having delayed my brain/mouth filter installation, I called her Calico.

[Sliceanddice]

I think people are way to into hairy potter and have Weasley fever

[Broomjockey]

I think people are way to into hairy potter and have Weasley fever

*snicker* Best. Mispellling. Ever. Slice, may I just say again how awesome you be?

[cinema guy]

My Mum had red hair when she was a kid. When she had polio she lost all her hair and it grew back brown. But my brother has red hair.

[Sharsarannon]

Hrm, all this is interesting... My hair was sandy as a little kid, and then brassy brown in school years, but about when I finished 'fledging" into a young woman as opposed to a girl, it went darker and darker. Now it's a dark chocolate coffee sort of color, almost black. Mind you, I don't complain, as I have blue eyes and light skin, so the effect is actually rather enjoyable.

[blas]

My mum is a redhead. Now that she's approaching middle age, her hair is more of an auburn color. When she was younger, she looked like little Lindsay Lohan in the "Parent Trap" movie. She's a redhead with lots of freckles and porcelain skin. Or as South Park calls them, Ginger Kids.

My dad was born blonde, but turned brown by age 12. He has medium skin that tans so well, he can walk to the mailbox and turn 3 shades darker. He has hazel eyes.

So my brother and I are both half Ginger kids. We were both born white blonde, but both of our hair has turned dishwater blonde. He left his alone, I bleach mine. We're both complete freckled faces and freckles on our arms and across our shoulders and chest, but that's it...not everywhere. We both burn easily, but after the burn is gone, we get dark very fast like Dad does.

I think there is some truth to this story though. I don't know why, but on one of the dating sites I go to, I got a message saying that my freckles were beautiful, and that I should be proud of them, for within 200 years or so, there will be no more freckled people or blondes or redheads....

[Horsetuna]

I was always a brunette... very thick hair. When I was out in the sun a lot, it would go coppery red.

One year I went back to school and people thought I had DYED my hair red. I loved my hair

I keep it short though, cause I do not have the patience to style it really. I want it longer though.

I've also since I was eighteen gotten a Witch's lock - a streak of grey/silver in my hair. Very stunning, and half the people I meet thinks its fake.