negitive social reactions due to hair color?

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I'm a natural redhead (born strawberry blonde, now a light auburn). When I go out in the sunlight, my head looks like it is on fire. (and If I stay out too long, the rest of me will be too). Ive been called "carrot", "red" "b*tch" "witch" "ginger" "harlot" and a few others that are not SFW. I have a real problem blending in, because no matter what I do, I stand out. I'm planning on dying it darker (I cant get rid of the red, but I can make it stand out less) in an effort to not be such a "show stopper". I'm thinking a dark auburn brown. I am hoping to recieve a better social response as a brunette with red highlights. So my question to the fourm is this: have any of you run into negaitive stigmas regarding your hair color (aka, blondes are dumb, brunettes are bitchy, redheads have a firey temper..exc) and for those of you who have, did you change your hair color? If you did, how did that work out?

I, personally, do not care so much about what type of hair colour a woman has as whether or not she has dyed it. If I notice that a woman has dyed her hair, it instantly makes her less attractive in my eyes, but it's not a dealbreaker.

Anyways, my point is that there are probably lots of people that enjoy your hair colour, and you should not let the idiots ruin your mood, and make you waste money dying your hair. Though, if it really is bad, then I can understand you going through with it.

Its not so much because of the negative attention. I also like my hair darker. (like the color it is when I get out of the shower), It makes me feel more like myself, brings out my green/blue eyes, and makes me feel smarter (not that that makes a whole lot of sense). I think that darker hair matches my personality more. when I was young, having red hair was fun and made me feel unique, now it just makes me feel weird. I am curious to see how this will effect my social interactions. Mostly just an intlectual/social excersise. People treat me differenly when I wear heals or different clothing, I assume that changing my hair color will cause somewhat of the same social change.

for all of you out there who are offended by the idea that I would want to do this in the first place, having red hair to me is no different then having blonde or brown or black hair to you,. Just because its rare doesnt mean I dont get tired of looking at it every day.

and for the natural color lovers out there ;) (my hubby included )you will be happy to know: You cant get rid of red hair. Its very resistant to dyes, colorations, bleaching, everything, no matter what you do, the color always shows through. so even if I dye it brown, it will be brown with red. I dont want to hide myself, just make myself stand out a bit less.

like it or not, people will judge your personality based on apperance, I would like an aperience that matches (or at least comes close) to matching my personality.

I think you're overreacting. You can't pin your self image on the remarks of dullards who just make whatever clumsy observation pops into their head because they can't abide silence.

I think the hair color you're describing sounds beautiful. I've known and dated several redheads and they've all been beautiful and sexy just they way Mother Nature made them. I'd be sick to see them spoil such a striking natural beauty with artificial stains.

A lot of people love redheads. I myself rarely have met a person who looks better with their hair dyed rather than natural.

It's not your hair. Those people do not like you for other reasons, and they are just using the hair as the most obvious way of attacking you.

Do not pay attention to them. Like someone said, your self image should not be shaped by some idiots.

Nooooooooooooo! Don't dye your pretty hair. Besides, those b*****s be jealous. Lots of men LOVE red heads. I'm blonde and get snide remarks if I ever say anything remotely unintelligent, even if I said it in jest. *shrug* People be trippin'. XD

Please don't dye your hair just to please others.

I love ginger/red hair on anyone. It's a nice colour and kinda reminds me of ginger cats or foxes.

Your hair color sounds really pretty. I wouldn't change it and most people I've met actually like red heads (as long as their not carrot top/orange).

Agreed, don't change your hair colour. They'll find something else to insult. If you do not like attention, you'll get it for changing your hair colour anyway.

Its pretty to you. Its boring to me. You dont live life as a redhead. dye your hair red, see what changes. i have a feeling I would be more comfortable as a brunette then a redhead, just as some brunetes are more comfortable as blondes. Image is always just an illusion. We change our looks for many different reasons, not just to hide ourselves (although that one is the most popular). but also as a social cue. (large thick hair on the top of the head is considered roalty, whispy light blone hair is an indication of youth, exc. ). Over the centuries people have been modifing themselves in an effort to appear one way or another to others. dying your hair isnt any diffrernt then getting a peircing or tattoo (although usualy less permenant), or changing your clothes shoes or jewelry. all of which will inact a response either positive or negative socialy. any change will cause a response. Beauty is all about changing oneself for the social responses of others. It doesnt mean that you are less of a person, or that you hate yourself if you put on makeup. dying your hair a different color is the very same thing. no matter what your natural hair color is.

so for anyone that has done it. did people treat you differently? did you feel differently?

I really like your name

That said... its ultimately your choice, so do what you want.

I died my hair green for a year, and while I did get some comments, noone treated me any differently than now. I've died it red, blue, and black too.... black lasted for a year and a half, and there was no change in how I was viewed... the green did make ppl stop for a second (who knew me) and ask why, but everyone treated me exactly the same.

So in that regard... I don't think dying it will change too much how others view you... (but then again, I'm pretty dense to that whole social stigmaizing stuff, so maybe you're more intuned to it and will notice a difference). But if you like the color more, then change it! If you don't like it, it'll grow out soon enough, so not like it hurts anything.

I personally love how my hair looks when it comes outta the shower and is darker... just bought some more hairdye for brown-black, so it'd look a bit more natural than straight black... haven't died it yet, still debating on it, but probably will.... still it does still look better wet than dry (even when dark, I guess because its got that shine, and clumps together nicely, and you can make it do w/e you want... before it drys and frizzes up >.<!... or for me, since my hair is really curly, its a lot straighter when dry, so thats a big thing I like...)

As for being a redhead in general... it does seem to be a target for people (but girls are often seen as pretty and comments along those lines, where guys will be ridiculed for it and called all sorts of nasty names more often)... which is just lame and stupid, but how it is... so red -> brownish will possibly change more than brown -> green *shrug* I don't know xD, but no harm in trying!

People who are nasty about red hair are bigots.
Its not acceptable at all, despite what people think.
Thing is though, if they can't critisise you about one thing, they will find something else.

You should do what you like with your hair! I used to dye mine red to bring out the red highlights, and in sunlight it looked bright auburn. I had chestnut brown hair in high school, but when I went to college I dyed it black for Hallowe'en. It didn't wash out like I thought it would! To my shock, when the natural color began to grow back in, it was almost indistinguishable from the jet black! My hair is still that color -- my husband calls it sable, which sounds sexier than "black," to me! I love being a dark brunette! I get asked, "How do you get that color?" or "What product do you use?" by total strangers (generally, women who want my color) or "How much dye is in this?" by stylists before they cut my hair. I love saying, "This is my natural color!" in response. It makes me feel really happy about my color.

I have red highlights and commenced dying it different shades of red when I began getting grays in my late 20's. (If others are okay with their grays, that's fine. Mine looks like crap because it's not anywhere near fully gray, but makes it makes my hair look dull. A full head of gray hair can look nice though.) I love red hair, and it suits me. Do other people treat me differently? Not that I've noticed.

It's not a big deal, though. It's just hair, and the dye doesn't have to be forever. It's not breast augmentation. Colors are fun (that being said, I hate the process of dying my hair, but the results are worth it). I for one, love working with the color palette in many areas. Web design is one, painting is another.

Give it a try if you want. I understand getting bored with ones own hair color (or any color one lives with everyday). Don't expect it to change the views of others, though. Do it for yourself.

By the way, I've noticed a person's hairstyle, not color, causes others to treat you differently. For most of my life it's been various long lengths, but occasionally I've cut it all off, for hair health reasons. Whenever I've done this, I've noticed a different attitude from a lot of women. I felt more accepted (but also a little creeped out by it). I think for some women, long hair on another woman is threatening. Which makes sense, because a lot of guys like long hair. I like long hair because I don't have to get it cut every 6 weeks. More like every 6 months.