Red Friend Story #3: My spunky and spirited little redheaded girl

My little three year old red head is not old enough to tell her story. I can’t wait until the day that she can. She is my spunky and spirited little redheaded girl. Everywhere I take her people stop us and talk about her red hair. I have a feeling she is going to have a love-hate relationship with that fiery hair on her crown. She likes it now and is starting to realize that it is something that makes her special. Just the other day, she said, "Mommy everybody likes my red-hair". I said “Yes, my darling girl they do!” I am going to ask her a few questions about her hair and see what she has to say.

Karla: What do you think about your hair?
Ava: "It is pretty"
Karla: What makes your hair special?
Ava: (with much prodding from her big brothers) “Not, much people have it."
Karla: Who is your favorite red-head?
Ava: "Meeee!!!, and Daddy and Aerial."


About the Author:

Location: Vandalia, Ohio

I’m Karla and am a 32 year old stay at home mom. I have three boys and one spunky red headed girl. I’ve been at home with the kids for 13 years which is not the most glamorous job but the rewards have been limitless. I’ve lived in Vandalia, Ohio my whole life. It is where my family is located and where we play in the pool or hang out on the ball fields. I love spending time with my kids, working out and staying fit. I believe the best part of life is being together with the ones you love.

Note from Anne: Thank you Karla and Ava for being Red Friends.

(c) 2009 Anne Lindsay All rights reserved.

Redhead #4 – And then the Triplets came along

My search for redheads has taken many turns. When I first started hunting redheads, my referrals were word of mouth. Don’t you love that saying…word of mouth! In any case, I found out about Katy when her mom emailed me describing her four children. She was good friends of a redhead I had just put on my calendar for photos. Lisa’s family included herself, her redheaded husband, Katie and THE TRIPLETS. Katy is the oldest child by two years, and then the TRIPLETS came along. Amazingly enough the only boy triplet…Carson…is also a redhead. Lisa decided that it would be fun to be a part of the Redhead and More Redheads project and set up their photo session.

A few days after having set up the session, I saw a herd of kids in our local grocery store with a dark haired mom driving her cart through the produce section. I zoomed in on the redheads in the group and asked the MOM, if the redheads were hers. She told me that they were not hers, they belonged to a friend. Wide eyed, Katy told me that she knew about my book project and that her mom had already signed up for a photo session and interview. Glancing over the group, I noticed Carson, her brother, with 10 tooth picks taken from a sample dish stuck between all of his front teeth. He was a monster growling and displaying his thorny mouth. My next thought was GREAT a comic for the book. Katy was the informed older sister and Carson was the nutty younger brother.

Interview Snippet #3


Katy is an adorable, 10 year old strawberry blonde. There are three redheads in her family. Her father, her younger brother and herself. Katy’s mom explained that Katy and Carson get along very well and she attributes it to the fact they both have red hair. During the interview, Katy told Anne that the family had discussed the issue that redheads are going to go extinct. She seemed very worried about it.

Fortunately, Anne was able to dispel this myth for Katy’s family. The myth that redheads are going extinct is false. Fortunately, research shows that Redheads are a minority but are not going extinct.

Unlike other redheads, Katy did not have any redhead stories or had ever had a redhead nick name. The only nick name given to her was by her redheaded brother and it was nincompoop. In retaliation, she calls him a ”fiery building carrot top”. We all have crazy names given to us by our siblings. Fortunately, Katy’s nick name does not include a rude or silly redhead slur.



(c) 2009 Anne Lindsay All rights reserved.

Red Friend Story #2: My snout is a warm glowing auburn

Goody Beagle here. My human says I am a partial-redhead because my shoulders and my ears and most of my snout are a warm glowing auburn, which is just another word for red. I guess I’ll have to take her word for it, because I am a dog and like all dogs I don’t do colors.

Maybe you feel sorry for us dogs because we can’t see colors. Don’t be. We are the ones who feel sorry for you because you can’t do smells.

I think colors and smells might be the same thing anyway. What you call black dogs have a spicy, in-your-face smell, and what you call brown dogs have an earthy, hole-digging smell. White dogs have a smell like seagulls on the beach. All good smells. But redhead dogs – now there’s the best smell of all. Dogs like me, from the tri-color Beagle clan, and dogs from the Irish Setter clan, and even dogs from the rust-colored Pekinese clan – we have a richer, deeper, more satisfying smell – a smell that says “this is an interesting creature and you should give it a cookie so it will stay around a long time.”

Then we will give you a nice face lick and be your friend for always.

About the Author:

Location: Bellevue, Washington

Kim Pearson is the author of five books, including Dog Park Diary: the Social Round of Goody Beagle, and a ghostwriter of more than thirty non-fiction books. Dog Park Diary is the first she has ghostwritten for a dog. For more about Dog Park Diary, visit

http://www.dogparkdiary.net/, and for more about Kim’s ghostwriting services, visit http://www.primary-sources.com/.

Photography of Goodie and Kim & Goody: © 2007 Anne Lindsay. All rights reserved.

Redhead #3 – My mom ate mandarin oranges

Fiona is an amazing redheaded artist and writer who draws every waking moment in the day. She is the talent behind Yanicaru. Some of her characters have included Fors, Voiden and Tierany. She’s been drawing since she was 3 with chopsticks on the rug. Her family had to walk around her creations until someone would use their foot like an eraser. She would go to another spot in the living room and start a new drawing. She now draws with a blue bamboo wacom tablet and a MacBook Pro . Easier on the family and her images and stories are more permanent.

Fiona saw the birth of Redheads and More Redheads because she is Anne’s daughter. In fact, one might say, Fiona was one of the reasons why the book project came into being. Fiona was a redhead, because….

INTERVIEW SNIPPET #3

Anne: Fiona tell me your favorite redhead story.

Fiona: M O M! You know which one it is. Why do I have to tell you?

Anne: Because.

Fiona: (rolling eyes) Okay! Mom and Dad really really wanted to start a family and went through a lot to have a baby. In fact it took 5 years and a lot of science. Right?

Anne: That’s right sweetie!

Fiona: Anyway, mom was seven months pregnant when Christmas season rolled around. As with many pregnant moms, she had a food craving. She could not get enough mandarin oranges. She ate crates of them over the holiday season and beyond. It was mandarin oranges, right?

Anne: That’s right.

Fiona: To go on. When I was really little, Mom and Dad told me that the only reason why I had “orange” hair was because Mom ate all those madrian oranges. Of course, I also believed in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, too. When people would come up to me and say I had really pretty red hair. I would look them at them with an incredulous look on my face and announce “NO! I don’t have red hair, I have orange hair!” Straight, orange hair. Forget about genetics, my orange hair came from an over abundance of mandarins in my mom’s diet. Okay, am I done?

Anne: Yep, thanks honey.

(c) 2009 Anne Lindsay

All rights reserved

Want to be a Red Friend?

(Red Friend Instructions and Sample Story by Toddie Downs)

Red Friend Instructions:

It’s easy to become a Red Friend. Just send Anne a story about something related to being a redhead. If you’re a redhead or ever have been a redhead, think of something from your past that happened to you solely because you were a redhead. If you’re not a redhead, think about what it would be like to be a redhead, or what life is like living with/being friends with a redhead.

Keep your story to three paragraphs, between 250-400 words in length. Then add one “About the Author” paragraph that tells us a little bit about yourself; feel free to include a link to your web page. Finally, add a high resolution “head” shot please make it a great one. Send your completed narrative to Anne Lindsay at anne@annelindsayphotography, and then watch to see your story on Anne’s website and blog.

Red Friend Story Sample (Use this sample as a guideline for your story)

Red Friend Story #1: A Copper-Headed Goddess

I was born with hair the color of a shiny new copper penny. Alas, by the time I was in my teens, it had dulled to a medium brown shade. But I’ve always wanted to be a redhead. In my estimation, the most beautiful women are not blondes or brunettes, but redheads. Think Susan Sarandon, Juliette Moore, Rita Hayworth.

In an attempt to reclaim my redhead status, I spent most of my disposable teen income buying Sun-In and bleaching my hair to an unhealthy state. Then my brother’s girlfriend, who worked in a salon, offered to tint my hair to make it less of a brassy red. I jumped at the opportunity. I sat as she worked the solution through my hair, but started to feel somewhat nervous when she disappeared to have what appeared to be an animated discussion with her supervisor. When they released my hair from its foiled dreadlocks, I saw the cause for panic. My hair was now red, it was true: the exact fluorescent shade of orange-red seen in Ronald McDonald’s wig.

Numerous attempts at calming the neon-ness of my hair failed and, finally, the only solution was to dye my hair jet-black – which, because of all the different solutions in my hyper-saturated hair, left the tips of my hair a deep purple. I was a Goth nerd, not anything close to the redhead goddess state I’d desired. Today, twenty-five years later, my hair is back to its natural medium-brown. But in my heart, I’m still that copper-headed goddess.

About the Author:

Toddie Downs is a freelance writer and editor in Snoqualmie, Washington. Visit her blog “WordHappy” at http://toddiedowns.com/blog/.

Redheads and More Redheads’s Red Facts, offers all redheads and redhead frineds (RED FRIENDS) – from all walks of life – the opportunity to explore the world of redheads. Each week we will invite redheads and their redhead friends to learn more about the world of redheads, redhead science, redhead history, famous redheads, redhead writers and their characters. You will hear diverse viewpoints and take a back row seat to crazy pictures, videos, stories and feature articles.

We invite Redheads, Red Friends and Redhead Scholars to participate in RED NOTES. We need your help. We can’t do this alone. Do see our links for an amazing collection of web sources from Redhead and Freckle genetic research to red headed dolls. We hope you enjoy our site. Let us know what you think!

The Hunting of the Redhead - Chapter 2

Preparing to be a Redheader....

To be honest, I’ve engaged in amateur redheading for the past year along with compiling a great deal of field data on the redhead. My redhead viewing and photography expeditions have ranged from organized trips to potential natural habitats to accidental encounters. These encounters are always a bit disarming, exhilarating and often frustrating. When I see a stray redhead, I’m never sure if should slowly move in and meet them eye to eye or stay back. There are times when the thrill of seeing a single redhead alone is overwhelming. I can’t help myself from straying into their territory.
At that point, I may avoid an encounter completely or go past the redhead because I am not fully equipped. At that point, I get really mad at myself because I’ve left my equipment and supplies in the van or back at home. There are other times, I can’t help myself and pounce on the unsuspecting redhead with limited success.

The nuances of the well oiled junket are many. I must develop the proper skills, continue observations, try various pursuit techniques and continue my study before I become an accomplished redheader. Fortunately, one of my most successful training tapes comes from the world renowned naturalist, David Attenborough, on the Planet Earth TV Series. I encourage potential redheaders to study this master’s technique. One program I particularly like is the “Amazing! Bird sounds from the lyre bird - David Attenborough” It shows how too many enthusiastic naturalists can have an effect on the animals they are studying. I must always keep this in mind.

Redheading requires the right outfits, equipment and supplies. Fortunately, I’ve been studying other great naturalist’s fashion acumen and have been trying to emulate their style. I found just the right safari hat on Amazon and will be purchasing my shirts and pants from other appropriate suppliers. As a female redheader, this is always one of the most fun elements of the preparations. Fortunately, I now have the right makeup and hair accessories to do the job right.
During these past months, I have also purchased the following cache of supplies. They include printed “Redhead and More Redhead” business cards, a post card outlining the book’s reison detre and a well oiled encounter speech.

My equipment quiver includes my Nikon D300 digital camera, a camera on my cellular phone and a small video camera. I also have a great camouflaged Olympus DS 40 digital voice recorder. All of my equipment must fit into my redhead satchel. Okay, so it’s not a satchel, it’s a big BAG. I purchased the BAG from Bags by Baby Cakes and have photos of some of my first redheads emblazoned on both sides. A great publicity tool! I’m sure I will be adding and refining my setup as I refine my redheading skills.

I believe I am ready for my first official expedition. It will be either the Tartan Day – Scottish-American Festival in Puyallup on Saturday, March 28th or the Tastes of Norway Norwegian Cultural and Heritage Day in Ballard. They are on the same day. I may go to both, we will see. It’s so hard sometimes. I’ll let you know what I decided in Chapter 3 of The Hunting of the Redhead.



© 2009 Anne Lindsay
Chapter #2 of Hunting of the Redhead Story

Redhead #2 - My giant carrot top afro

Lauren Selig, a pregnant REDHEAD, is the imaginative woman behind the book “Little LaLa”. She is a highly successful business woman and entrepreneaur with close ties to the Seattle Business Community. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Kyril, and their two daughters. Not only is Lauren a redhead but Little LaLa is a precocious red head, too.

Anne met Lauren as a client who wanted photographs of her adorable family. Anne told Lauren about her book “Redheads and More Redheads” and requested she be a part of her book in her pregnant state. Lauren came back to Anne’s studio about 3 months later and we photographed her as a beautiful redheaded mother with child. We thought it would be funny if she had the baby the next day. Our joke turned out to be a prophecy. Surprise! Lauren had her baby the next day!

INTERVIEW SNIPPET #2

Lauren: My funny redhead story started when I was made fun of as a kid because I had red hair and so many freckles. Because of the teasing, I thought I wanted to turn my hair blonde. I wanted to have curly, big beautiful blonde hair. So, what do you do in 80’s when you wanted truly big beautiful blonde hair? You went and got a perm! My mother agreed to let me get a perm. After I got the perm, the nice man told me “Don’t go out in the rain for couple of days after your perm”. I told him “Okay!”

I thought, well, this is Seattle, of course, we have no rain. I can do that! Well, my family went to Vancouver, B. C. for Expo 86 and it was pouring rain. Of course, I went out in the rain which turned my lovely new perm into a giant carrot top afro and I had huge red hair everywhere! I thought if it was going to be this big and all over the place, I may as well turn it blonde. Just to make it a little bit worse. My parents wouldn't give me any dye for my hair. I didn't know how to do it otherwise. Thank God I didn't find any bleach. But, I did find dozens and dozens of lemons. I decided I would just squeeze the lemons and dunk my head into big bowls of lemon juice. After dunking my head, I used a hair dryer and stood out in the little bit of sun we have here in Seattle to turn my hair blonde! It made my hair into a giant mass of red blonde afro hair. I was horrified. (laughter) I decided not to change it ever since. So now, I LOVE my red hair and I'm hoping it never turns gray. That’s my crazy redhead story.

© 2009 Anne Lindsay Anne Lindsay Photography
Lauren Selig’s Blog: LaLa Travels