Seeing Red in the Gene Pool
By Matt McCannWhen I was young, and
my little sister a bit younger, we went on a trip to China. We were
visiting its famous Great Wall when, to our puzzlement, Chinese tourists
began queuing up — ignoring the thousands-miles-long wonder of the
world to photograph two arguably lesser wonders of the world: my sister
and me.
my little sister a bit younger, we went on a trip to China. We were
visiting its famous Great Wall when, to our puzzlement, Chinese tourists
began queuing up — ignoring the thousands-miles-long wonder of the
world to photograph two arguably lesser wonders of the world: my sister
and me.
We’re redheads.
We were amused by the
gathering crush around us until they began to get rowdy, fighting each
other for a spot in line to take our picture. People got pushy and we
got jostled. All of a sudden, we were trapped in a terrible buttressed
mosh pit photo op. Our mother grabbed us and ran.
gathering crush around us until they began to get rowdy, fighting each
other for a spot in line to take our picture. People got pushy and we
got jostled. All of a sudden, we were trapped in a terrible buttressed
mosh pit photo op. Our mother grabbed us and ran.
It was an early yet
enduring lesson about the perceived exoticism of our red hair. But our
other traits are not to be overlooked. Perhaps you knew these facts
about us reds: We are impervious to the effects of general anesthesia.
We boost hair dye sales when we become famous. We are the canary in the
coal mine for ultraviolet rays, burning in the presence of sunlight,
cuing our melanin-replete brethren to apply the sunscreen.
enduring lesson about the perceived exoticism of our red hair. But our
other traits are not to be overlooked. Perhaps you knew these facts
about us reds: We are impervious to the effects of general anesthesia.
We boost hair dye sales when we become famous. We are the canary in the
coal mine for ultraviolet rays, burning in the presence of sunlight,
cuing our melanin-replete brethren to apply the sunscreen.
We are gingers. (Hear
us roar, I’d add, only I’m hesitant to perpetuate a stereotype of the
tribe — that we’re fiery of temper. We don’t, as a rule, roar.)
us roar, I’d add, only I’m hesitant to perpetuate a stereotype of the
tribe — that we’re fiery of temper. We don’t, as a rule, roar.)
Photo
Photo
Yet despite these and
other genetic advantages, the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos
International, shuttered itself to red-haired donors in 2011. It cited a
surfeit of “product” from redheads, at odds with its mission to offer a
diversity of traits to its global clientele (although the company
itself is in Denmark). Nevertheless, the move piqued the redhead
community and its allies, who feared this is one step toward a ghastly
future where eugenics would wipe the earth clean of its Prince Harrys,
Julianne Moores and Geri Halliwells.
other genetic advantages, the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos
International, shuttered itself to red-haired donors in 2011. It cited a
surfeit of “product” from redheads, at odds with its mission to offer a
diversity of traits to its global clientele (although the company
itself is in Denmark). Nevertheless, the move piqued the redhead
community and its allies, who feared this is one step toward a ghastly
future where eugenics would wipe the earth clean of its Prince Harrys,
Julianne Moores and Geri Halliwells.
The Cryos decision also piqued the interest of the Italian photographer Marina Rosso,
who was fascinated by the commercialization of sperm donation and
artificial insemination and the idea that one might shop for an
offspring’s phenotype.
who was fascinated by the commercialization of sperm donation and
artificial insemination and the idea that one might shop for an
offspring’s phenotype.
“Basically, I wanted
to work on a project on artificial insemination,” said Ms. Rosso, 28. “I
wanted to do a project that would touch on themes of morality and its
boundaries.”
to work on a project on artificial insemination,” said Ms. Rosso, 28. “I
wanted to do a project that would touch on themes of morality and its
boundaries.”
Besides, she’s one of us, in a way: Though her hair is light brown, her surname, Rosso, is Italian for — yes — red.
She imagined herself
as a “conservation geneticist” and created her own map of some four
dozen varieties of redheadedness and photographed a specimen that
expressed the traits of each combination — a green-eyed, curly-haired,
short man of medium build occupies spot No. 39, for example. The result
is “The Beautiful Gene,”
a catalog of reds published by Fabrica, where people of the MC1R gene
gaze directly back at you, almost in indictment, as though they know
they’re being regarded like creatures in a zoo or steaks in a
supermarket, and know that, given a choice, you would take a pass on
their genetic schema for a more conventional sort — a blond, a brunette;
brown eyes, tall and dark.
as a “conservation geneticist” and created her own map of some four
dozen varieties of redheadedness and photographed a specimen that
expressed the traits of each combination — a green-eyed, curly-haired,
short man of medium build occupies spot No. 39, for example. The result
is “The Beautiful Gene,”
a catalog of reds published by Fabrica, where people of the MC1R gene
gaze directly back at you, almost in indictment, as though they know
they’re being regarded like creatures in a zoo or steaks in a
supermarket, and know that, given a choice, you would take a pass on
their genetic schema for a more conventional sort — a blond, a brunette;
brown eyes, tall and dark.
Photo
Rosso created a matrix that would represent the red hair gene through
48 categories, each combining this feature with five more physical
traits (gender, height, build, eye color and hair type).
To find her subjects,
Ms. Rosso made phone calls and conducted interviews. Facebook proved
useful: “Red-haired people have more red-haired people as friends than
normal people,” she said. She followed gatherings
and meetings of redheads. She also browsed the Internet’s sperm markets
to get a feel for how one might go about making a purchase. The idea of
making a few clicks and then being sent a take-home “designer baby” kit
stoked Ms. Rosso’s sense of curiosity.
Ms. Rosso made phone calls and conducted interviews. Facebook proved
useful: “Red-haired people have more red-haired people as friends than
normal people,” she said. She followed gatherings
and meetings of redheads. She also browsed the Internet’s sperm markets
to get a feel for how one might go about making a purchase. The idea of
making a few clicks and then being sent a take-home “designer baby” kit
stoked Ms. Rosso’s sense of curiosity.
On the phone from her
home in Udine last week, she described how the demand for artificial
insemination had changed since the 1990s, when it was dominated by
heterosexual couples. Now, buyers are increasingly single women, who,
Ms. Rosso said, are looking for sperm that would yield the traits of a
“dream mate.” These days, everyone wants to rear a George Clooney or
Adrien Brody.
home in Udine last week, she described how the demand for artificial
insemination had changed since the 1990s, when it was dominated by
heterosexual couples. Now, buyers are increasingly single women, who,
Ms. Rosso said, are looking for sperm that would yield the traits of a
“dream mate.” These days, everyone wants to rear a George Clooney or
Adrien Brody.
Ms. Rosso said that
she didn’t have any special redheads in her life, nor was she close to
any. Her surname aside, she’s a brunette. I was unable to read her
thoughts, even if in the past I have gleefully persuaded more than one
gullible soul that redheaded people can communicate telepathically.
Thinking back on the throng at the Great Wall, where the interest in two
small, florid-faced pudgy redheads couldn’t be satisfied, our
frightening heyday seemed a long way away. The Cryos International news
was troublesome to me, and I needed to know what Marina Rosso, genetic
conservationist, saw in the future. Was it a post-apocalyptic wasteland
of genetic modification, barren of freckles and green eyes?
she didn’t have any special redheads in her life, nor was she close to
any. Her surname aside, she’s a brunette. I was unable to read her
thoughts, even if in the past I have gleefully persuaded more than one
gullible soul that redheaded people can communicate telepathically.
Thinking back on the throng at the Great Wall, where the interest in two
small, florid-faced pudgy redheads couldn’t be satisfied, our
frightening heyday seemed a long way away. The Cryos International news
was troublesome to me, and I needed to know what Marina Rosso, genetic
conservationist, saw in the future. Was it a post-apocalyptic wasteland
of genetic modification, barren of freckles and green eyes?
“I don’t know. It’s
complicated,” she said. She was more interested in provoking thought
than providing answers. “I’m not a scientist,” she said, only a
photographer. “Pictures should give people the possibility to think
about things that they wouldn’t usually.”
complicated,” she said. She was more interested in provoking thought
than providing answers. “I’m not a scientist,” she said, only a
photographer. “Pictures should give people the possibility to think
about things that they wouldn’t usually.”
“I’m not worried about modification,” she went on. “I’m just worried to be not aware of what’s happening.”
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77 Comments
find that the pictures tend to have a carnival freak show feeling about
them - probably in an attempt to be "artistic". The subjects are made
to look their worse, against a pale blue background - really? As a
red-head I find it offensive. I am sure if this person did the same to
another more prominent minority group the NY Times would never publish
it. I don't care for the pictures and find them in poor taste.
only Mug shots of beautiful redhaired amongst us? A better
photographic portrayal of the red haired activities of the day would
have been more accurate. At least flash should have not been used..it
is the most unflattering way to portray human face.
Folks commenting here are trying to hard to personalize the work as
"all about me and I am a redhead too." And the work went kinda zoom,
right over their heads.
hairy arms business is true in Africa too. The red hair on my head
didn't seem to make much of an impression, but in markets little kids
would come up to stroke the red fur on my forearms.
The first
time I was in Asia I thought my red hair would stand out, but I found
that lots of young folks in both Singapore and Shanghai were bleaching
their hair to a colour not unlike mine
Now that I have far more
white than red hair, it's faded to what a friend calls "Arctic blonde"
which isn't too bad, particularly since I can now wear red which my
mother always said was terrible on red-heads.:)
hairy fore-arms in China or Japan & wear a short-sleeve shirt &
count how many people come up and rub your arm to feel the hair. There
just are no people with hairy arms in the population group.
had the same thing happen to us in China, although not as bad when we
visited many years ago. My daughter has red curly hair and everywhere we
went she attracted a crowd. They were very friendly though and she is
very outgoing so it didn't bother her. At the Forbidden City the Chinese
tourists seemed to take more pictures of her! Especially if they had
another child with them. We joked that they would show all their
neighbors "look what we saw in Peking!".
Never have had red hair or reddish hair.
I know of no redheads in my genetic family.
However, there are some people I know who say that I have red hair.
(I mean what remains of my hair that is)
People
who don't know me sometimes call me "Red" and others have said that I
am a redhead like themselves--although some of these people in my
opinion are not redheads.
I am decidedly blond. Not even reddish blond.
But
I am beginning to understand that I have other facial and body
characteristics that might, only might, suggest redheadedness (think
Esau).
I am not a redhead, not that there's anything wrong with that.
I can plausibly deny it, too. But after waking up in the middle of
open-heart surgery, and undergoing root canals for which numerous
injections did not numb the tooth, I admit it to doctors and dentists at
least!
Mass
immigration of people who invariably have black hair into countries
were redheads and blonds exist will, eventually, wipe those phenotypes
out.
Already that famous propaganda stunt, where the teacher
divided her students into brown and blue-eyed kids and treated one group
badly, would make no sense in great swaths of America. Everyone has
brown eyes.
like you're worried that the "purity" of blond and redhead gene lines
are being "polluted" by dark-haired "others." Hmmmm.... where have we
heard that before?
Fear not, zippy - take a trip to Sicily or
southern Spain, and despite centuries of rule by dark-haired and even
dark-skinned people, you will find plenty of redheads. Considering the
red hair gene is recessive, it seems remarkably tenacious.
In any
case, no one's forcing YOU to procreate with dark-haired people - and
no one's preventing blonds or redheads from procreating with similarly
pigmented partners.
But a specious racist argument against immigration? Huge FAIL.
interesting things in the article, and in the photos. I agree that the
"mug-shot" photos seem to drain the humanity out of the subjects. Why
couldn't they all have been photographed smiling, or laughing? And
where are the golden reds? Are we not "true" gingers as well? My Mom
had gorgeous dark red hair, while her sister had more of a golden red,
and both of them were beautiful women. My brother and I were both born
with golden red hair, but it turned white very early. The natural red
faded out of my hair in my mid-30's. Now in my 50's, I find myself
captivated when I see children with red hair. I want to tell them it is
beautiful, and that they should enjoy it - it doesn't always last!
was frightened of having red hair when I was a kid. I have both men and
women reds from my mother's family. Today, it's fun and interesting to
be really RED!
mother was the only non redhead in her family. I married a redhead (of
a red haired mother) and my three older children had bright red curly
hair.(faded now) I am of Irish and English descent and my husband is a
mix of Scotch and German. Red hair abounds. When my reddish blonde
curly haired granddaughters visited Japan they were followed as though
they were movie stars (aged 3 and 1).
They even wore glasses, not a fashion statement. ( I passed on eye defects as well as red hair.)
Redheads
abound but always seem unusual because they are noticeable. They
often have curly hair. Besides Irish and Scotch, many Jews have red
hair.(Think Danny Kaye).The perfect creamy skin sometimes found in
redheads is rarer than freckles, and truly gorgeous.
My hairdresser found that when he lightened my hair, it was red.
always catch my eye, and I've dated a few. They were all a lot more
attractive than the ones depicted. It's like the photographer went out
of her way to find plain or unattractive redheads. And her hair matrix
reminds me of when people's intellect used to be determined by the shape
of their head, pseudoscience for sure. What purpose did the author
have for all this? To demonstrate the "otherness" of redheads? Sell
more books? Kinda ridiculous. Personally, I'd rather see more photos
of redheads like Kitty! ;)
very surprised, and somewhat perplexed, that there are no photos of
people of African American descent. Though I am Irish and come from a
large Irish family, the vast majority of natural redheads I have known
in my life were of African American lineage. Hmmm...what's up with that?
Perhaps when Ms. Russo was searching for participants, African
Americans did not respond because they identify as African Americans
instead of "gingers?" It is a puzzlement....
Apart from the late Denis Johnson (of the Celtics), and some bad dye
jobs -- Ms. Rosso is clearly focusing on natural redheads -- I've never
seen any black person with red hair.
There are many African Americans with natural red hair.
Where have you been?
figured out quite late in her teenage years that my daughter (now
mid-40s) has redheaded coloring. We learned much then from Color Me
Beautiful about more flattering clothes colors for her. Pale blue was
not one of them. Wouldn't these people look better without the pale blue
background? Picture tan, gold, brown.
the comments complaining that the subjects are "unattractive"..? They
look pretty normal to me. Maybe you're confusing "plain presentation"
with "unattractive"? They were simply photographed, sans makeup, and
presumably requested to display a neutral expression. I'm sorry, but the
people expressing these views seem, um.. shallow. That's the only way i
can put it.
I don't think many of the people in this story are natural redheads.
Most of them all have the same dark shade of red which looks straight
from the bottle. Totally fake.
inclined to agree with the comments about these people looking odd. Not
necessarily "unattractive" but it looks as though these people were
taken off the street and had the life zapped out of them to pose for a
mugshot photo. Why not take pictures of what they normally look like
show that they have life. Instead there's a weird filter photo of
someone with a stern unhappy face.
Check
this out and the comments as well. One of them refers to Tim Minchen
"Only a Ginger can call another Ginger ginger". That's worth googling.
Very funny!
of the people who were photographed would have looked attractive and
interesting if they had been in a natural setting and smiling. Surely
the photographer must have been looking for the "mug shot" effect and
told them not to smile. An odd artistic choice, but one shouldn't label
the photographed people "unattractive" as people.....they presumably
did what they were asked to do.
a ginger through and through and I question the authenticity of some of
these folk's hair color! Some of the colors seem unreal (too uniform,
for example) and out of a box. If so, shame on you! Or, perhaps,
shame on some of the fake gingers for pretending they are.
I
love being a redhead. Now, as I age, I find I mourn the loss of my most
obvious and striking physical characteristic. My almost-unique
identity of gingerness. And It was beautiful.! No one ever thought
otherwise.
mine's from a bottle, my grandson's is the real thing! He wears it long
and with pride! There are no redheads in our families as far as I know
and his sister is a blond. Ain't life and nature grand
mother is a ginger. My first girl friend was a ginger (several issues
going on there I bet!). I find myself counting gingers at any public
gathering.
Go to the school band conference at Gorham, NY and behold the power of the ginger-gene.