A Strawberry Blonde’s Dilemma: Is My Hair Red?

By Guest Author: Sheree Shea

The day I turned sixteen I channeled my redhead fiery spirit into getting my driver’s license. I arrived at the California Department of Motor Vehicles gripping the steering wheel with a relentless determination to silence tremors of nervousness. Once I finished the test, I was handed a clipboard and instructed to complete the Driver License application.

I scribbled through the basic information …First Name, Last Name, Mailing Address etc., and I came across a very peculiar question, one that I had not been faced with before: hair color.

I filled up the boxes with what I considered the label of my hair color: strawberry blonde.

I appealed to the woman behind the desk for assistance, because ‘strawberry blonde’ exceeded the character count of available boxes. She told me to select between two options: red or blonde.

I was overcome with ambivalence…I did not consider myself blonde, yet I was reluctant to select red.

Growing up, I was ashamed to be a redhead. As a young girl, my locks were a deep amber hue year-round, with subtle blonde highlights appearing during the summertime months. I constantly questioned my genetic connection to my parents – my mom is blonde and my dad has dark brown hair. My mom always lathered me with twice as much sunscreen as my siblings, because I had “fair skin”.

Now, years later, my attitude towards my red hair has changed dramatically. When I sit down in the salon chair for my quarterly trim, I am proud to answer: “Yes, this is my natural hair color.” I embrace the rarity and celebrate that my red hair makes me unique, not different. My freckles are beautiful, not abnormal. I am a strong, confident, and beautiful redhead.

To date, my driver’s license hair color reads in bold letters: Red

Here are four [redhead] self-tips in case you need to rekindle the flame in your fiery locks: 

1. Switch it up: Curl it, straighten it, or try to master that outrageously difficult hairdo you’ve been admiring on your Pinterest board. Sometimes, a beautiful hair-do can give you extra confidence to love your red hair even more.

2. Sun’s Out, Bun’s Out! Let your mane free at the festivals, concerts, and summertime events that fill up your calendar. Watch everyone give you compliments.

3. Summertime fling? Convince him/her that their “type” from here on out should be redheads. [wink face]

4. Blast Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” and bust a move. Anywhere. Anytime. Work it!

My hair IS red… and I am always Rockin’ it like a Redhead!

READ:  The 6 Shades of Red Hair, Which Shade Is Yours?