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Red hair

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File:Redheadedbella.jpg
A girl with red hair
Red hair is common in
orangutans...
...and cats...
...and highland cattle.

Red hair is a hair color shared by several species, among them humans, orangutans, domestic cats, cattle, and horses. It varies from a deep red through to bright copper.

Historical distribution

Red hair is most commonly found at both the west and eastern fringes of modern Europe. Although red hair in the human population is most commonly associated with those of Scandanavian descent, 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, as well as some in Iran. The Berber Kabylie population of northern Algeria have occasional red heads. Red hair was introduced to Ireland and Britain by the Vikings, who came from Norway. Most redheads have blue eyes rather than green, and inherrited the freckle gene from the Celtic tribes of the British Isles. Red hair is also sometimes found in other areas far from the fringes of Europe, such as Japan (1) Red hair was found commonly among Neanderthals [1].

Boudicca, the famous British queen of the Iceni, was said by the Roman eyewitness Marcellinus 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.

The modern British commonly believe that the cluster of red-heads in the British Isles, averaging 4%, can be associated with Pictish or Celtic ancestry, and certainly Scotland has the highest proportion of red-heads of any country worldwide with 13% of the population having red hair. A further 40% of Scots carry the MC1R variant gene which results in red hair. Ireland has the second highest red-headed population in the world amounting to 10% of its inhabitants.

Oddly, there is a strong correlation - proven by an academic study of the British Isles - between the prevelance in an area of ginger cats and the proportion of that area's population who have red hair. 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 coloured-coat. Highland cattle have been orange ever since.

It is estimated that between 2% - 3% of the United States population have red hair.

Red hair is significantly thicker than the hair of people of European descent with other hair colours. The numerical density of hairs on the head in red-heads is also lower.

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 colour itself is produced by an iron compound. The recessive gene which gives people red hair, fair skin and freckles is certainly older than 50,000 years, and it could be as old as 100,000 years. All red heads are MC1R variants, and the prevalence of these alleles is highest in Celtic countries. MC1R is found on chromosome 16.

The genetics of red hair is now being uncovered, together with connections between red hair and melanoma and other skin disorders, and red hair and problems with anaesthesia.

There is evidence for genetic linkage of eye color with other hair colors such as brown hair, so it would not be surprising if red hair were linked with eye color inheritance. Some of those with copper hair have green eyes.

Such a type of inheritance is close to what geneticists describe as an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. This means, in practice, that both your parents may not have red hair, but both could be carriers for the gene for red hair. If this was the case, perhaps one in four of children might have red hair. If one of the parents has bright red hair, and therefore carries two of the changes (one on each of their chromosomes), and the other parent is a carrier, then perhaps 50% of the children might have red hair. 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 colour, resulting in the very different types of red hair including strawberry blond (red/blonde) and auburn (red/brown).

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.

Social implications

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. Popular culture, particularly in the UK, sometimes discriminiates against those with the brighter types of red hair. It is often the case that ginger hair darkens considerably as children grown older. There is now an active RedAndProud society in the UK, aiming to counter such prejudices.

On the other hand, there are some individuals who describe themselves as redophiles or down with "scarlet fever". These people 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 the red hair solely for its exotic aesthetic pleasantness, others are more passionate and insist on giving their attentions only to natural redheads because they possess certain desired physical features such as pale skin that never tans, freckles, light pink areolas, and red pubic hair. Additionally, as mentioned above, the fading brightness of the hair color as someone ages implies that someone with red hair is younger, and, of course, youthfulness is generally considered a desirable sexual characteristic, particularly among women.

In addition to these physical traits, redophiles, as well as, to a certain degree, popular culture at large, also perceive redheads as being more passionate and adventurous than other people, both sexually and in a more general sense. This also extends to the stereotype that redheads have particularly "fiery" tempers, and are more easily angered than others.

  • 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 colour 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 pharoahs associated with Set are described as being red-headed.

Further reading

  • Allen Sacharov. The Red Head Book (1985).
  • Stephen Douglas. The Redhead Encyclopedia (1996).
  • Uwe Ditz. Redheads (2000).
  • Marion Roach. Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning and Sexual Power of Red Hair (2005).

Notes

  1. Yamamoto M., and Neel J.V. "A note on red hair on the Island of Hirado, Japan". Jinrui Idengaku Zasshi. March 1967. 11 (4), pages 257-62.

See also

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