Super cute and super redser: Jade is Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model (pic Beaut.ie)
Let me just put my cards very firmly on the table here. In fact so firm is the slamming down, that coffee cups rock and people around me are startled.
There's not a chance of red hair dying out. And here in the outer edges, in these windy and wet northern lands at the furthest reaches of Europe, the Irish and the Scots have more redheads then any other race on Earth. ( Well apart from the Aussies... and well they're just one of our outlying islands as far as genes go). Yes we have the pale skin and the freckles to go with the hair. And yes we burn up at the slightest showing of the sun. But we don't get much sun anyway, so that didn't worry us too much until the advent of cheap flights.
For ages now - over a hundred years in fact - there have been too many "reports" and "surveys" and "research" into the fact that the gene for red hair is dying out. Most recently it was breathlessly reported that people in sperm banks are apparently eschewing doners with red hair in favour of black or blonde. But hang on a little minute people. Since when did the future of the human race and its colouring depend on the choices made in sperm banks? Surely such a miniscule proportion can be easily discounted. As an er publicity stunt?
The scandal mongers seize eagerly on the fact that the gene for red hair is recessive and that both parents need to carry it in order to produce a redhaired child. And because it's recessive it is apparently easily cancelled out by other more dominant colours.
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Super cuter and even more ginger (pic via Yahoo)
But 4% of the worlds population has red hair. 4%! There's no way that will disappear in 60 short years - not even a fraction of an eyeblink in the evolutionary calendar. The mutated gene can skip a generation - or more - and pop back up at any time. Just look at that gorgeous little rare ginger monkey that came out of nowhere last week, born to two common aul black monkeys, to hit the international headlines with a huge big splash. Surprising the heck out of everyone it just proved that Jeff Goldblum was oh so right in Jurassic Park when he said "Life finds a way"
Redheads. You can't keep a good thing down.
What's your take?
P.S. Kirstie met Jade this week and we'll have the news on that tomorrow!
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