Red hair (also referred to as "auburn", "ginger" or "titian") is a hair color that varies from a deep red through to bright copper. People with red hair are often dubbed redheads.
Historical distribution
Red hair is most commonly found at both the west and eastern fringes of modern Europe. Although red hair is commonly associated with those in Britain and Ireland (more specifically the Scots and Irish), dark red or reddish-tinged hair can be found in a few other Caucasian populations. The Galatian invasion of 275 BC has resulted in a smattering of red hair in the population of modern-day Turkey. The Berber and Kabylie populations of northern Algeria have occasional red heads. The Classical Greek historian, Herodotus described the "Budini" (probably Votyak and Permyak Finns) as being predominantly redheaded. Sweden also has a significant redhead population. Red hair also occurs amongst people of African descent; famous African-American redheads include Malcolm X.
Red hair is also sometimes found in other areas other than the far fringes of Europe, such as Japan[1], the Middle East and all the way to modern day Iran and Pakistan, where it can be found most commonly amongst those of Iranian descent, such as the Pashto.
Boudica, the famous British queen of the Iceni, was said by the Greek historian Dio Cassius to: "be tall and terrifying in appearance ... a great mass of red hair fell over her shoulders". The Roman Tacitus commented on the "red hair and large limbs of the inhabitants of Caledonia [Scotland]" (The Life of Agricola, Ch. 11), which he linked with some red haired German/Belgic Gaulish tribes.
Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads of any country worldwide with 13% of the population having naturally red hair. A further 40% of Scots carry the MC1R variant gene which results in red hair. The Picts, tribes that Mediterranean Classical Era writers placed in Caledonia (Scotland)" [1], were recorded as red-haired. Ireland has the second highest population of naturally redheaded people in the world, amounting to 10% of its inhabitants, though it is a misconception that most Celts were redheaded. [2] Viking invaders, who later founded Dublin [3], were also known for having red hair. [4]
Highland cattle are also notably ginger. Until the 19th century, black and brown forms of Highland cattle were more prevalent; however, Queen Victoria's love of the Highlands influenced her decree that Highland cattle be selectively bred for a toffee colored-coat. Highland cattle have been orange ever since.
It is estimated that between 2–3% of the United States population have red hair.
Biochemistry and genetics of red hair
The biochemistry of red hair, discovered only in 1997, appears to be associated with the melanocortin-1 receptor while the red color itself is produced by an iron compound. The MC1R recessive gene which gives people red hair, fair skin and light eyes is also associated with freckles, though it is not uncommon to see a redhead without freckles. 80% of redheads have a MC1R gene variant [5], and the prevalence of these alleles is highest in Scotland and Ireland. MC1R is found on chromosome 16.
The genetics of red hair is now being uncovered, together with connections between red hair and melanoma, skin disorders in general, and different reactions to anaesthesia. There is evidence for genetic linkage of eye color with other hair colors such as brown hair, but MC1R is not linked to eye color. The inheritance of red hair is close to what geneticists describe as an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. This means that the parents of red-haired children may carry the gene for red hair but not have red hair themselves. It is this aspect of the inheritance of red hair that tends to lead to the various permutations of the milkman joke.
There is also evidence that red hair may be an example of incomplete dominance. This is similar to a simply recessive trait, but rather than not expressing at all when only one copy of the red hair allele is present, red hair blends with the other hair color, resulting in the very different types of red hair including strawberry blond (red-blonde) and auburn (red-brown).
Redheads are more susceptible to thermal pain. In people with red hair, the cells that produce skin and hair pigment have a dysfunctional melanocortin 1 receptor. Edwin Liem (researcher at the Outcomes Research Institute of the University of Louisville, US) says this dysfunction triggers the release of more of the hormone that stimulates these cells, but this hormone also stimulates a brain receptor related to pain sensitivity.[2] Researchers have found that redheads require greater amounts of anesthesia, but other research shows that women with naturally red hair require less of the painkiller pentazocine than do either women of other hair colors or men of any hair color.
Red hair is one of the most rare types of hair color in humans, if not the rarest, and it can be described in many ways. It varies in description from ginger, to auburn, to strawberry, to just red in the English language. Many studies have been done on MC1R the gene that codes for hair color, eye color, skin color, and ultraviolet light sensitivity, and red hair has been one of the focuses in these studies due to its relationship with UV sensitivity, fair skin, and freckling. These studies have found that there seems to be a relationship with that the alleles that code for red hair and UV sensitivity.
Red hair and its relationship to skin sensitive to UV radiation is currently of interest to a lot of melanoma researchers. Sunshine can both be good and bad for a person's health and the different alleles on MC1R represent these adaptations. It has been hypothesized in studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) that lighter skin pigmentation prevented rickets in colder latitudes by encouraging higher levels of Vitamin D production. On the other hand, it also has been shown in studies by Rees (2002a, 2002b) that individuals with pale skin are highly susceptible to a variety of skin cancers such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Moreover, on MC1R, where the alleles that code for red hair occur, so do the alleles that impact skin color so it seems that the phenotypic expression for lighter skin and red hair are interrelated.
The alleles Arg151Cys, Arg160Trp, Asp294His, and Arg142His on MC1R, are shown to be recessives for the red hair phenotype in studies by Harding, et al. (2000). Europeans that are heterozygous for red hair exhibit increased sensitivity to UV radiation in studies by Rees (2004).
Studies by Healy et al (2000) show that red hair alleles in MC1R effect increased freckling and decreased tanning ability. Conversely, people with darker skin and hair, which gives them increased UVR protection, are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency as shown in studies by Holick (2001). In studies by Harding, et al. (2000), the age of red hair Arg151Cys and Arg160Trp variants is estimated at 80,000 years which is consistent with the wide geographic distribution of the alleles.
[img]http://www.hansrossel.com/fotos/fotografie/mongolie/mg_d4307.htm[/img]
Kwashiorkor condition
In cases of severe malnutrition, normally dark human hair may turn red or blond. The condition, known as kwashiorkor, is a sign of critical starvation caused chiefly by protein deficiency, and is common during periods of famine.
Red hair in popular culture
Queen Elizabeth I of England was a redhead, and during the Elizabethan era in England, red hair was fashionable. This was also the case during the rule of redhead Oliver Cromwell.
In several Muslim countries such as Pakistan, henna is used on greying hair to give it a bright red appearance. [6]
In some circles, however, redheads are subject to ribbing and ridicule. For example, the pejorative term "ginger minger" is sometimes used to describe red headed people as they are seen by some to be unattractive. When used in this derogatory way, "ginger" is sometimes pronounced /'gɪ.ŋə/ (as opposed to /'dʒɪn.dʒə/). The derogatory use of the word "ginger" is almost completely limited to Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australia and is generally unknown in North America.
This "gingerphobia" has been satirised on a number of occasions. The British comedian Catherine Tate appeared in a running sketch in an episode of The Catherine Tate Show in which she was forced to seek solace in a refuge for ginger people; the pejorative use of the word "ginger", and related discrimination, was used to illustrate a point about racism and prejudice in the "Ginger Kids" episode of South Park; and the British comedy Bo' Selecta! featured a spoof documentary which involved a caricature of red-haired Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall presenting a show in which celebrities (played by themselves) dyed their hair ginger for a day and went about daily life being insulted by people.
The term "redheaded step-child" is common in both North America and the United Kingdom. This term brings up a number of unfavorable factors for the poor child - a child who is from a different birthright, and whose uncommon appearance makes it quite obvious. The myth that redheads are commonly more temperamental, combined with the notion that step-children are more unruly for a number of reasons, culminated with the phrase "I'll beat you like a redheaded step-child". One can be treated like a redheaded step-child, or be said to act like one.
On the other hand, there are some individuals who describe themselves as redophiles. They have a strong love for, and usually are sexually attracted to, redheads. As in any paraphilia, there are varying degrees to which a self-described redophile holds their desire. While some people favor red hair solely for its exotic aesthetic allure, others are more passionate, and insist on lavishing their attention only on natural redheads because they believe that they possess certain desired physical characteristics such as freckles, or pale skin that never tans. It is often the case that ginger hair darkens or lightens considerably as people get older, becoming brown or blonde, and this phenomenon leads some to associate red hair with youthfulness, a quality that is generally considered to be a desirable characteristic, particularly among women.
In addition to these physical traits, redheads are also often characterised as being more passionate, feisty or adventurous than non-redheads. This also extends to the stereotype that redheads have particularly "fiery" tempers, and are more easily angered than others. Jonathan Swift satirizes this stereotype in part four of Gulliver's Travels, "A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms", when he writes: "It is observed that the red-haired of both sexes are more libidinous and mischievous than the rest, whom yet they much exceed in strength and activity." Swift goes on to write that: "... neither was the hair of this brute [a Yahoo] of a red color (which might have been some excuse for an appetite a little irregular) but black as a sloe".
Many painters have exhibited a fascination with red hair. The colour "titian" takes its name from Titian, who often painted women with red hair. [7] Other painters notable for their redheads include the Pre-Raphaelites [8], Edmund Leighton, Modigliani [9] and Gustav Klimt [10].
Famous redheads include D.H. Lawrence, Woody Allen, Julianne Moore and Ron Howard.
Myths and stories related to red hair
- The Biblical mark of Cain is thought by some to have been red hair. Esau's entire body is supposed to have been covered with red hair. Also Judas Iscariot is sometimes supposed to have been redheaded. King David is also known for having red hair.
- Early artistic representations of Mary Magdalene usually depict her as having long flowing red hair, although a description of her hair color was never mentioned in the Bible, and it is possible the color is an effect caused by pigment degradation in the ancient paint. This myth is used as a plot device in the book The Da Vinci Code.
- Ancient Romans considered redheads to be unlucky.
- Ancient Egyptians associated both red-haired humans and red-colored animals with the god Set, considering them to be favored by the powerful and temperamental deity. Several pharaohs associated with Set are described as being redheaded.
- In both the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Greek king Menelaus is repeatedly described as having red hair.
- Ancient Roman descriptions of the Picts describe almost all of them as being redheaded.
- The famous Viking explorer, Erik the Red, was known for his red hair. It is alleged that his son later went on to discover North America.
- The Sherlock Holmes story "The Redheaded League" (1891) was a favourite of its author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and included a sub-plot revolving around a pseudo-society restricted to redheads.
- The 1840 comic play Der Talisman by Johann Nestroy is about prejudice against redheads.
- According to English legend, King Arthur had long red hair. Many Arthurian myths end with the promise of his return in England's hour of need. Important English figures like Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Winston Churchill, both redheads, are said to be the fulfillment of this legend.
Further reading
Reference
- ↑ Yamamoto M., and Neel J.V. "A note on red hair on the Island of Hirado, Japan". Jinrui Idengaku Zasshi. March 1967. 11 (4), pp 257-62.
- ↑ Liem, Edwin B., et al. "Anesthetic Requirement Is Increased in Redheads" Anesthesiology: Volume 101(2), August 2004, pp 279-283.
See also
External links
