Being a Redhead Couple – Why is Everyone Staring at us?

By: Samantha Priestley

When I first met my partner just over a year ago I didn’t pay much attention to the color of his hair. So he’s a redhead and so am I. So what? Ok, I’ve never dated a fellow redhead before, but it wasn’t a big deal…was it?

It wasn’t long before I realized we didn’t know any other redheaded couples. In fact, it wasn’t long before I realized we didn’t even SEE any other redheaded couples. In our almost year and a half relationship, we have never come across another red haired couple. And maybe this explains why we often get strange looks and pointed at in public. Yes, we’ve been pointed at in public.

When we were first together, the usual remark from our friends and people we chatted with was that we look like we’re related. Since we’re a very touchy-feely couple this was quite strange, but one or two people even said we look like brother and sister. They seemed quite serious about this. We’re obviously not brother and sister, or related, but some people seemed to find it hard to believe that two red haired people could possibly NOT be related. As for the fact that we could meet accidentally and fall in love…that was too incredible an idea to fathom at all. What are the chances?

We like it like that. We like being the odd couple, the strange pair, the focus of stares and whispers.

Then we began to notice people staring at us in the street when we were holding hands. Were we being paranoid? The truth is, I can kinda understand why people are reacting like this. As I said, we’ve not even seen another redheaded couple since we’ve been together and I can’t recall seeing many, if any, before that. So, we’re a fascination, an oddity.

But as redheads, both my partner and I have grown up with that as a fact of our lives as individuals anyway. We’re different. The only ginger kid in the class, maybe in our whole year at school. Called names and singled out as something strange. Us getting together makes us even stranger, I suppose.

And do you know what? I like it. We like it like that. We like being the odd redhead couple, the strange pair, the focus of stares and whispers. We’ve both grown up with ginger bullying and have learned to shrug it off and now, instead of feeling threatened or embarrassed, we’re proud. We’re proud to be the only red haired couple around.

Like I said, what are the chances? Pretty slim, I would think. Which makes it even more special, even more, amazing that it happened.

So let them stare. We’re unusual and we’re owning it. Rock it like a Redhead! 

Photo: ‘Gingers in Love’ by Sergei Sarahanov