Why Have a Redhead as Your Heroine?

The idea for this post came to me when I finished reading Valkyrie by Kate O'Hearn. The protagonist was born with flaxen hair, but later dyes it red. Once I had finished the book and was starting on its review, I received in the mail Book 3 of The Warrior Isles series by R. L. McIntyre, which is another series with a natural redheaded heroine. Then, I remembered that Nancy Drew is a famous red-haired heroine (usually). My heroine of Book 1 of a series I've been working on for years is also redheaded. I wondered, why are so many heroines redheaded? What's the appeal?

Disclaimer: It's important to remember that these are fictional characters we will be looking at and fiction has stereotypes. Real people with red hair are the same as everyone else; some may have hot tempers while others won't, for example. Everyone has their own set of dominants traits and people should not be judged by their hair color.

Asuka Langley action figure from Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo Japanese Anime by Ryan Yao on Unsplash

Redheaded Heroines At a Glance

A quick Google search revealed a few things:

Books are categorized by "Redhead Heroines" and "Popular Redhead Heroines" (on Goodreads). So, people look for books with a heroine that has red hair.
There are various posts that include a list of famous redheads in stories, such as books, TV, Disney films and anime.
There are posts listing red-headed actresses.

Starting with TV Tropes, it seems that all red-headed fictional women are thought to have several dominant traits:

"[S]assy, bold, brash, sharp-tongued," fiery and spunky
Strong-willed, courageous and dramatic
"In their relationship she will probably make him work to win her over for a long time."
Green eyes

This stereotype may have been influenced by actresses, such as Maureen O'Hara.

In anime, red hair is often a sign of royalty/prestige. Additionally, the character's red hair attracts attention and may even gain top billing, for example, one anime title is Snow White With the Red Hair. However, various stories (not just in anime) have the character cutting, disguising or dying their red hair because they don't like the attention it puts on them.

Red hair is seen as a symbol of desire and love. For many cultures, red hair is exotic.

Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland by Anna Church on Unsplash

Red Hair's Background

Red hair is commonly found among Celts, Scandinavians, and Ashkenazi Jews. And as a result, the rest of the world sees red hair as exotic:

Perhaps surprisingly to outsiders, given the (relatively) higher proportion of Irish redheads, this trope does not seem to exist in Ireland. Redheaded leads do appear, of course, but they are heavily outnumbered by the more common blondes and brunettes. This may be that, unlike almost everywhere else, red hair is not really seen as especially "exotic" in Ireland and Irish made media reflects this. - TV Tropes

Red is a popular color for super and regular heroes of stories. The red may be the outfit they wear, their hair color and/or eye color and any non-human features as well as the hero's gear or battle aura. Red can signify being bathed in blood to intimidate their enemies or is a call-back to historical events, such as when the British redcoats invaded the United States. Red is a scary color because it's associated with fire, anger and passion.

The fiery redhead stereotype is thought to have been derived from the Irish and Scottish people as well as the Vikings since they are/were loud, strong (physically and/or spiritually), short-tempered, and/or passionate, especially when the drink flowed. Brawling and fighting are considered common activities for the fiery redhead. In the case of a female fiery redhead, she is one who doesn't take nonsense from anyone, won't be ruled by anyone and has a large personality. Cross her and there isn't any doubt that you won't pay for it. While red hair is also found in Eastern Europe (Russia and Sweden, for example), this type of redhead stereotype is thought as cold, calm and/or calculating.

Photo by Matheus Bertelli

Red-Headed Heroines

Not all red-haired heroines come by their luscious locks naturally. And red hair isn't just about being alluring. It can represent a character's traits and/or it can be a sign of their heritage.

Freya in Valkyrie (Book 1 of the Valkyrie series)

While hiding among mortals on Earth, Freya decides to dye her hair crimson red. When her friend asks her why, she skirts the question, answering that she wants her (flaxen) hair to be different and stand out from that of her sisters' since she already has different wings from them (O'Hearn, Valkyrie, 112-113). We never find out why she chose crimson red. Is it so that it resembles blood? There are many other colors that would stand out, such as blue, bright yellow, and even black since it would match her wings and still help her stand out from the crowd. It may even create a sharp contrast to her skin.

Earlier in the story, we meet Odin and Thor. Odin has red hair while Thor has reddish blonde hair (O'Hearn, Valkyrie, 16-17). Could this have subconscious influenced her? Odin has great power and made a name for himself, so is the red hair a symbol to her? Maybe it will be answered in Books 2 or 3.

Seanait in Curse of the Gods (Book 1 of The Warrior Isles series)

Seanait has a combination of red hair and green eyes. According to TV Tropes, "Green-eyed redheads are one the rarest color combinations found in humanity (with the exception of some abnormalities)." She has this combination so that she stands out as a notable protagonist, and it's a way to show that she is different since she has a power bestowed upon her from the gods: "The first time [my mother] saw my hair turn to fire and my eyes burn green because of my riastrad, she screamed [...] My hair, my eyes, my strength, my destiny— none of it was me. The Gods had just designed it for me. The girl under it all was no one" (McIntyre, R.L. Curse of the Gods, 142). Her riastrad, aka her warrior's rage, makes her hair and eye glow brighter, enhancing the colors. So, Seanait has the stereotypical association of red hair and a fiery temper. Even when she is not in the throes of her riastrad, Seanait can get angry pretty quickly. For example, Seanait asks Cillian what is happening between them and Cillian insults her by denying that there will ever be anything between them and that she thinks too highly of herself but isn't special. Some women may have showed their hurt with tears of sadness and/or been angry but not done anything about it. Seanait, however, instantly "saw red. My hand rose and met the side of his face [...] His head jerked to the side and he stumbled. It was probably harder than I had intended" (McIntyre, R.L. Curse of the Gods, 139). As part of being a warrior, Seanait is courageous and strong-willed.

Similar to Nancy and Daphne, Seanait has red hair as part of her heritage. Her name is derived from Old Irish for "little eagle" (McIntyre, R.L. Curse of the Gods, 46) and/or "a falcon." She (was possibly born in and) lived in Emain Macha (also called Navan Fort and located lower in Ulster/Northern Ireland on our maps today than in the book's map) before going to train with Scathach at the Fortress of Shadows located in today's Luce Bay near Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Nancy in the Nancy Drew Franchise

Since her conception in 1930, Nancy Drew has been a full redhead, titan-haired, a strawberry-blonde and a full blonde; it seems each new group who brings the sleuth to life sees Nancy differently. The classic series reveals in Book #41 The Clue in the Whistling Bagpipes that Nancy is Scottish, which explains why she'd have red hair. This fact about Nancy was used by HeR Interactive in Game #29: The Silent Spy. Along with her sometimes red hair, Nancy has the stereotypical redhead characteristics, such as sassiness and spunk, courage for solving dangerous mysteries and a strong will. She is passionate about bringing criminals to justice who think they can take advantage of vulnerable people.

From left to right: Daphne in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, What’s New, Scooby-Doo?, Scooby-Doo (2002), Scooby-Doo! – The Mystery Begins, and Be Cool, Scooby-Doo

Daphne Blake of the Scooby-Doo Franchise

Redheads sometimes look like they have orange hair, like in Daphne's case. Similarly to Nancy, Daphne is Scottish, which viewers learn in some episodes, such as Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster and "Giant Problems" in the Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! show.

In my character analysis, I looked at various versions of Daphne following the original Scooby-Doo show in 1969. While she was a damsel-in-distress and known as "Danger-Prone" Daphne, later versions wrote her with more stereotypical redhead traits. In the live-action Scooby-Doo movies and What's New, Scooby-Doo? show, Daphne is trained in karate, giving her more of a fiery and courageous nature. In Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, Daphne is prone to the dramatics, from dressing up and acting like a Goth or a New Orleans vampire to using puppets of her friends. She has a bigger personality that ever before, doing what she wants, voicing her concerns and sometimes standing up to the gang for what she believes in.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Conclusion

Red is not just a hair color; it can be so much more in a story:

A symbol of power
A symbol of exoticism (depending on the culture)
A symbol of intimidation (since it looks like blood)
A symbol of heritage (e.g. Celtic origins)
A symbol of character traits (e.g., fiery temper, passion, courage, dramatic, etc.)

When creating a character's appearance, back story and traits, it's essential to have the character stand out and be memorable in readers' minds; it improves immersion so they don't have to go back in the story to figure out who said what when. Neil Gaiman recommends giving characters "funny hats," i.e., giving each character unique quirks so they differ from each other. Even if you image putting a physical hat on your character, that hat would embody your character's personality and dialogue. Someone wearing a top hat would look and sound different from someone wearing a cloche hat, fedora, tuque or sombrero.

Red hair is high on the list of "distinguishable features." If you have a character from the southern part of the United States (e.g. Pepper from Sweet Tea Witches by Amy Boyles), you might give that character red hair to emphasize their sass, stubbornness, and/or temper or it could be part of their heritage. You might just think that since the southern part of the States are hot and red symbolizes heat, that character will have red hair; this is not a good way to create a character. Remember: a character's appearance needs to match their dialogue and personality. Part of Pepper's character is to "quirk a brow" to show her surprise, confusion or disapproval. With her southern accent, her red hair and a dominant sign of body language, she stands out even before readers learn that she's a witch.

Essentially, there must be a good reason for a character to have red hair (or any hair color). Every element within a story must be able to answer the question, "Why?". Not only can it help the author to connect the dots and write other parts of their story more easily, but it will also help the author answer that question when a reader of any age asks it (because they will!). When readers get into a story or a series and a fandom is built, they will analyze everything. So, you better have done it right and be ready with the answers.

P.S. I realize now that the reason I noticed the hair color on the cover of Valkyrie and Crown of Fate is that the red caught my eye. If both covers had had blondes or brunettes, I may have thought nothing of it and then, not written a blog post.

Other Posts on Writing

Author Interview: Following the Writer's Path with Indie Author Erin Bowlen

Guest Post by Gen Methot: Why I became a Writer

Conflict vs. Chaos: What's the Difference?

How to Describe Characters Without Being Boring

Scooby-Doo and the Gang: A Character Case Study (Part 1)

The Scooby Gang Case Study (Part 2): "What Do You Do for the Gang?"

Worldbuilding Tips for Writers Part 1: Landscape, Ground & Trees

Exploring the Theme of Truth and Lies in Storytelling

The Quality of Writing

Mysteries

Elements of a Classic Mystery in Magnum P. I.'s "I Witness": A Case Study