Ginger
I’ve always externalised my personality not caring how people think I look, their opinions don’t matter, I still largely think like that. But there was always one part of myself I tried to cover up. I’m ginger. When I was in school that wasn’t ok it marked me as different and fair game for bullies. So from the age of 14, I dyed it every colour and shade you can think of though I mostly gravitated towards the reds. It had been instilled in me by my peers that being ginger wasn’t cool.
And then I went to university, I had blood red hair and a resting bitch face every goth could be proud of. It was during freshers week I met a Norwegian girl, Chris, she has the perfect hair for bleaching and at the time I was a bit jealous but in a quiet moment between trips to the pub and clubs she asked after my natural hair colour and I grudgingly told her.
Her eyes lit up, “That’s awesome.” she says or something along those lines. That was the first time anyone, other than my mother, who’d told me it was a good thing. I was so shocked that I’m certain I had to explain that in the UK it’s not a good thing at all. But as the conversation flowed I realised why she thought it was cool; Donna Noble and Amy Pond. Chris is a massive Doctor Who nerd, as am I and the latest companion at the time was Amy Pond a young vibrant dare I say sexy ginger.
Just that one conversation with a Norwegian Doctor Who fan and my entire opinion about my hair colour changed, though it would take me almost two years to fully commit going back to ginger, in that moment I felt empowered and proud to be different. Looking back it seems silly I’d always prided myself on not conforming by being a goth and letting the sub-culture mark me as unique instead. Now that’s no longer needed, tough I’m still a goth at heart, I’m proud to be ginger and I have a fleeting conversation with my favourite Norwegian to thank for it.
