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Red: A History of the Redhead

von Jacky Colliss Harvey

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2435109,203 (3.78)8
Stereotypes of redheaded women range from the funloving scatterbrain to the fiery-tempered vixen or the penitent prostitute. Red-haired men are often associated with either the savage barbarian or the redheaded clown. But why is this so? Harvey begins her quest in prehistory and traces the redhead gene as it made its way out of Africa with the early human diaspora, only to emerge under Northern skies. She goes on to the modern age of art, and literature, and the first positive symbols of red hair in children's characters; the genetic and chemical decoding of red hair; and finally, red hair in contemporary culture, from advertising and exploitation to "gingerism" and the new movement against bullying.… (mehr)
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Would have been more enjoyable at about half the length and without trying to be inspirational. IE would have been a really nice long blog post! ( )
  pigeoncube | Oct 29, 2023 |
“You are going to go through life thinking people don’t like you because you’re a redhead, and I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole."
-The Social Network (what do you mean this isn’t the quote I can guarantee you that movie was about Mark Zuckerberg struggling to come to terms with his red hair.)


The issue with this book isn’t so much the content, I was very interested in the cultural and scientific history of redheads, thats why I picked up the hecking book. The issue is the author, Jacky Colliss Harvey. Any valid points she makes are dwarfed by the chip on her shoulder the size of the grand canyon. And she doesn’t make that many good points to begin with.

I always thought that ginger supremacist Glee scene was a joke but apparently gingers really are like that (or at least Jacky Colliss Harvey is). Colliss Harvey’s primary goal is to push the idea that redheads are inherently different from everyone else, in a good way, and that they were and are discriminated against due to this. Racism and anti-Semitism are both intricately connected with the hate of redheads (in fact Colliss Harvey seems to be arguing that anti-Semitism was caused by hatred of redheads). Is she co-opting the struggle of people who have actually been discriminated against to further her argument? Yes. Is she dancing so close to a legitimate point before swinging away to some ridiculous statement about redheads? Yes, many times (Irish immigrants were discriminated against and are associated with red hair but Colliss Harvey somewhat overshoots her point and compares them to black slaves). Colliss Harvey starts the book off on the wrong foot, claiming that
“discrimination is rarely overtly practiced against those with white skin. Yet people still express biases against red hair... that they would no longer dream of espousing... if the subject were skin color, or religion, or sexual orientation.” (Her emphasis).

It’s stereotypes. She’s talking about stereotypes. Redheads are not the routine victim of police violence, they did not just gain the right to marry 3 years ago, they are not attacked in their mosques, temples, and churches. This comparison is ridiculous and indicative of a privileged white girl who thinks being told she’s fiery is as bad as (or worse) than fearing violence for one’s identity.

Let's just duck into the bibliography to check what Colliss Harvey is basing these claims on. Oh wait, there isn't one, just a 1.5 pg "Readings for Redheads" (sorry brunettes you don't get to know what sources Colliss Harvey uses. Go sit in the corner and think about your dumpy brown hair and cry. The grownups are talking). "Readings for Redheads" claims that Colliss Harvey cites her evidence on "almost every page." Well that isn't true. The few times she does cite her evidence, she makes heavy use of anecdote (mostly from her own life, just write a memoir), blogs, and in one case a friend. He has some sort of qualification, Colliss Harvey implies, but never actually verifies and he does not make an appearance in the "Readings for Readheads" because I guess he's not published. When other nonfiction writers find out they can cite random acquaintances, oh man that's gonna blow up the nonfiction scene. Keep your eyes peeled for my forthcoming book titled "The Entirety of Western History as Told to me by my Friend Jeff, a Math Undergrad."

But wait! There's more! This isn't just a book about cultural history - it also addresses science, to everyone's detriment. Colliss Harvey clearly does not like science, does not understand science, but really needs science to add legitimacy to some of her assertions. They include, redheads smell better than everyone else and redheads have wide childbearing hips, and redheads are better in bed (it's a stereotype and that makes her angry but it's also true because mumble mumble thinking things makes them true). Colliss Harvey's understanding of the scientific principles she clumsily tries to wield as weapons is woefully remedial. She writes that
“much of this [scientific mumbo jumbo] , particularly for us layfolk, lies at a level of microscopically complex science that can best be dealt with by employing the principle of “Don’t Worry About It”.”
(emphasis added, also the scientific mumbo jumbo, but we all know thats what she meant).

I am, personally, very worried. She might've well just said "I don't want you to understand the science, but I want to include it so you believe me more. Don't worry, I don't understand it either."

I am not a redhead, so perhaps I have a bit more distance than Colliss Harvey on her subject matter. On the very first page, Colliss Harvey states that red hair is “the single most significant characteristic of my life,” and that “if that sounds a little extreme to you, well, you’re obviously not a redhead.” That sounds honestly a little sad. Like I don’t even have a witty quip for that. She spends the rest of the book trying to claim redheads are not their hair color, but she clearly doesn't believe it herself. Beyond that, this quote indicates that Colliss Harvey is clearly biased in regards to the subject matter and maybe should not have been allowed to write this book. Like there’s no replacement for experience, but did no one read the manuscript as say ‘hey, Jacky is seeming a lil intense and all over the place, and it honestly seems like she’s just googling all of her facts?’ It wouldn’t surprise me if many people responded like that but they pushed it through anyways cause the bar for pop-nonfiction books is basically on the ground.

This is not a cultural and scientific history of redheads, no matter how much the book, Colliss Harvey, and the publisher want you to believe that. This is a memoir with the bare minimum of historical research (and no scientific research) thrown in so everyone could pretend they made something 'serious'. Rebrand this as a memoir, pull all the racist nonsense, and you have a workable book. As it is, just go to Wikipedia. It has all the same information (I won't even unpack that), but it actually cites sources.

Citations, cause I actually cite my sources unlike some garbage authors, and because I didn’t wanna include page numbers in the body of this review cause, frankly, I’m lazy:
The ginger supremacist Glee scene.
Redheads have it worse quote, pg 8.
I have a friend who told me this, and thats a legitimate source, pg 161, footnote 95.
“I don’t understand science,” pg 148.
The most significant characteristic of my life, pg 1.
( )
  astronomist | Oct 3, 2021 |
For a book that attracted me because of its pretty cover, I learned a lot of stuff.

Now I understand that I truly DO suffer from the cold; redheads are more sensitive to thermal stimuli, especially cold. Gingers experience extreme cold as pain; I know I certainly do. That's the downside; the perks are those days when the temps and humidity are well into the 90's and people around me are panting like dogs and dropping like flies while I'm full of energy and joy.

Redheads produce more vitamin D than non-gingers, so we are less likely to suffer from depression, something I had already noticed, but not thought about much (maybe because I just don't focus on the negative due to my positive gingery outlook?). We are more prone to melanomas, but those of us who fear wrinkles have been shunning those UV rays for years already, so I'm not worried.

Also, the thing about redheads disappearing from the gene pool? That was a lie told by a scientist employed by a producer of hair dye.....isn't it funny how scientist always seem to find "facts" that will prove whatever they've been paid to prove? They are nothing more than salesmen.

Having spent many years around horses and electric fences I now know why a zap from the fence never bothered me as much as my co-workers......redheads are more resistant to pain from electroshock! Well, that and I know enough to ground the wires on the fence while I'm repairing it.

This book was fun to read, but I think I'd recommend this book only to redheads or the close associates of redheads to help them understand the gingers in their lives. ( )
  Equestrienne | Jan 5, 2021 |
As a redhead, with a redheaded child, reading a redheaded author about redheads--I was primed to enjoy this book, but sadly, this text is a complete mess. The author manages to come off as a poor writer, a unorganized teacher, a lazy historian, and an unrelenting bore. For such an interesting subject, the writer finds a way to make it dull--what a waste because in more capable hands this subject could appeal to redheads everywhere. ( )
  ProfH | Jul 7, 2020 |
This is an interesting history of red hair. It touches on the redhead through the lenses of history, society, sexuality, literature, art, and genetics. Lots of art, lots of pop culture, lots of history, lots of literature. I would have rather had more genetic stuff up front, but it was eventually discussed at the end. I could have done without the last chapter where she visited a redhead festival at Breda (it was journalistic and first person in a way I dislike). A good enjoyable book. I have a redheaded grandfather, aunts, mother, and wife. So, learn all about it! ( )
  tuckerresearch | May 15, 2020 |
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The study of hair, I found out, does not take you to the superficial edge of our society, the place where everything silly and insubstantial must dwell. It takes you, instead, to the centre of things. Grant McCracken, Big Hair, 1995
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This one is for Mark.
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I am the only redhead in my family, a situation with which many a redhead will be familiar.
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Stereotypes of redheaded women range from the funloving scatterbrain to the fiery-tempered vixen or the penitent prostitute. Red-haired men are often associated with either the savage barbarian or the redheaded clown. But why is this so? Harvey begins her quest in prehistory and traces the redhead gene as it made its way out of Africa with the early human diaspora, only to emerge under Northern skies. She goes on to the modern age of art, and literature, and the first positive symbols of red hair in children's characters; the genetic and chemical decoding of red hair; and finally, red hair in contemporary culture, from advertising and exploitation to "gingerism" and the new movement against bullying.

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