For many men, red hair colors on women look especially alluring and attractive. This surely also has its roots in how they're portrayed in countless Hollywood films and other areas of popular culture, where red hair on women is often the hallmark of a "femme fatale" or an especially desirable woman. In the following lines, we'll tell you that the reasons for this myth run far deeper and that red hair colors still have a very attractive effect on men today.

red hair colors

Red hair colors and their genetic causes

What's important to know about red hair is that this color is inherited recessively. This means that if a child has red hair, the parents don't necessarily have to have red hair colors like that themselves. The cause of red hair is the MC1R gene, which is located on chromosome 16 and carries the genetic blueprint. It's also interesting to know that genetic tests can determine with 100% certainty whether or not the person tested has red hair.

Redheaded people are especially common in northern and western Europe. Thanks to British expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries, there are also significantly higher shares of the population with red hair in North America, Australia and New Zealand than in other parts of the world.

Red hair colors in history and mythology

Much like blonde people, red hair fascinated the Greeks and Romans too. In the Middle Ages, however, red hair was considered a punishment from God, and women who had it were not infrequently burned as witches. Another negatively charged stereotype is that red hair supposedly appears more often among Jewish people. With the rise of antisemitism, this led to Jews often being portrayed stereotypically with red hair and beards. This prejudice persists among broad parts of the population even today.

The effect redheaded women have on men is widely known and has already been addressed several times here. In general, it can be assumed that men find the fiery and exotic quality that comes with red hair especially appealing. This is often reinforced by the strongly developed self-confidence of redheaded women. Surveys show, for instance, that most men would be open to a hot fling with a redheaded woman.