Everyone has that one friend: the Ginger, the Redhead. You tease this friend, probably not as relentlessly as celebrities have been teased in the past (Lindsay Lohan comes to mind) but nonetheless, a few side remarks leak through. Why? Are we jealous? Those born redhead are undeniably different, but whether or not they are well received varies.
Some find redheads rare and ravishing; others, down-right revolting. “My mother’s reaction to being told her first-born was a ginger was to weep uncontrollably," says one man who wishes remain unnamed. Not everyone sees red when discussing these rare locks, a host of other comments can be read when checking out Photographer Jenny Wicks documentation of this increasingly elusive breed in a series called Root Ginger. Her film project is complemented by a book of photographic portraits focusing exclusively on red-headed subjects.
The project displays photos of redheads ranging from downy tufts atop infant heads to the wiry beards of the ancient. Her mission, to celebrate the rare: the beauty of diversity. It is a stunning gallery of crisp, straightforward portraits. An artfully tact reminder. Gingers are people too, you know. (People with two copies of a recessive gene on chromosome 16.) Though stigmatized as savage red hair can also be sexy! Hey, it even connects to royalty... Queen Elizabeth's auburn locks were never mangy but instead majestic! According to a recent survey, approximately 1% to 2% of the human population has red hair. It has been forecast, given the genetic combination required for the creation of a redhead that they will disappear entirely within a century.
