How do you think having red hair has affected your life? How different do you think you would be if you had been born with a more common color?

I've often wondered this about myself, and I would be delighted to hear others' thoughts on the question.

im not sure that the rumors are true about us being hot tempered etc(...tho my boyfriend would probably say otherwize!!!) but i think the way the 'others' react to us has to affect our social experiences...like whenever i go to the med or south france i get all self consious that everyones lookin at me caus of my bright orange hair and whiter than white skin...i think if u had good experiences( like being chosen to be ginger spice in our school play caus i had the hair,get me!lol) then its more easy to brush off the snide remarks(like ginger minger and 'omg ur hairs on fire!)....so in conclusion i think that being ginger has affcted me and i wouldn't be the same person if i had been born with brown hair!!

I hear ya Hannah,

My wife and I were in Italy & Spain last summer for our honeymoon and we were the palest, and I was the reddest of anyone I saw for 3 weeks! I stuck out like a big red sore thumb. 

I was once told by a Turkish man (on holiday in Turkey I was at the time) that i looked like uncooked chicken.  Needless to say, I didn't feel compelled to patronise his eatery after that comment.

It is experiences as rich and fulfilling as this that have defined my life as a redhead, without the hair I would be bereft of such insightful observations from my fellow man, and my entire outlook upon the world would be vastly different I reckon.

i was really born blonde (please be kind) although did have strawberry blonde hair at 10 until most of the red faded, and the blonde darkened to that of a yorkshire terrier...

but i've a fair skin and people always made fun of that.  i didn't get a proper tan until i was living in the south of germany.

last summer i saw a boy with the most amazing red hair - a real red red!  he had tonnes of freckles and a lovely face.  he was 14 and i told him you have lovely hair and his mum's friend said, see!  i keep telling you that!  strange how people get abused for it in the uk...