Why Redheads Have an Aversion to the Summer Heat

Edited: May 16, 2022; By: Guest Writer

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.  ~Russel Baker

Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE summer. It’s just not conducive with red hair and a fair complexion.

I’m a redhead who is part pasty white and part freckly. Fifteen minutes in the summer sun sees me ‘glowing’ an unhealthy shade of red, the sun having commenced its roasting process.

I was a bit worried the other day when I looked in the mirror after attending a barbecue.

I never usually venture out of the shade to swim, but I believed that I was actually melting therefore didn’t hesitate to prun-ify myself in the pool. But after getting home and looking at myself in the mirror, I realized that my freckles had taken it upon themselves to get busy and breed. An explosion had occurred all over my face, with a whole lot of baby freckles as a result.

Excellent.

Note: For those sun-smart individuals who may want to lecture me on the perils of not ‘slipping, slopping and slapping’, I was wearing sunscreen…that just doesn’t seem to stop my freckles. Nothing does – except maybe winter or living the life of a vampire and only venturing out at night.

I have considered the possibility of moving to a place with a cooler climate – but I hate the cold (rumour is that redheads feel the cold more…I’m living proof!).

What about trading it in for somewhere humid, and not so ‘harsh’. Hmmm – that would bring with it increased occurrences of melting and a whole lot of frizzy hair.

Hibernation? Well, I do love to sleep, but I don’t think I could handle the associated weight gain.

No. I can deal with ‘suffering’ through summer. I may just need to adopt of a new summer ‘style. I’m thinking 1950’s – wide-brimmed woven beach hats, bathing suits and pretty umbrellas?

I think us redheads would rock this classy, big-hat, chic look. What do you think?

Rock it like a Redhead!