The token ginger
I was recently the lone ginger at a wedding of 100 guests which is fairly representative since we make up a mere 1-2% of the population. I’m always quick to scan the room or event for a fellow ginger and suss out if I’m alone or have company. Quite simply, gingers love to check each other out. Since we’re so used to being the unique one in a room, the appearance of another ginger can cause a territorial reaction. Sometimes it can be a confidence booster to have a ginger comparison, or sometimes you may feel like ‘this town ain’t big enough for both of us’. I’m pretty used to being the token ginger and it’s fair to say I have the “I’m the only ginger in the village” complex.
Every group of friends has a token ginger (or should have), loads of sports teams have one, movies, sitcoms, they’re all getting one. Token gingers have really increased in their popularity and we have a few famous gingers to thank for the change in attitude towards us.
Ron Weasley quickly became the most beloved token ginger of all times. Tall, gangly, awkwardly unpopular and living up to every stereotype of being ginger, befriending the other Hogwarts outcasts didn’t help his reputation. As we watched Ron grow up and into his gangly frame, he somehow managed to outshine his undesirable characteristics, becoming a Hogwarts hero and getting THE girl. Finally we got to see a gingers luck beginning to change. Suddenly it’s cool to have a ginger in the mix. It certainly helped that he wasn’t really alone in his gingerness, he had a whole family of them behind him.
Prince Harry has bought the party to the House of Windsor. He gives the Prince of Monaco a run for his money along with instantly bringing potential party animal status to all ginger boys. The Spice Girls were definitely more spicy because of Ginger Spice. She made the others look like cumin and cardamom while she was smoky hot paprika. Ed Sheeran has found his place amongst the new brat pack of the decade, mixing with the royalty of music, claiming Harry Styles and Taylor Swift as his besties.
Gingers are always noticed for good or bad. We stand out in a crowd and you can never claim we are forgettable. These are the reasons why gingers are so perfect at being ‘token’. At best, they’ll be the life of the party; at worst they make a fantastic wingman.
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Marrying into a family with a strong “ginger” thread, I am now used to multiple gingers at hubby’s family functions but I totally get the token theme. One “token ginger” our family always looks out for is the bully in family/kids/adult movies. Is it their fiery nature or their uniqueness that makes them prime “stand out” characters? Any thoughts?