Hair Stories: When I was modelling in London, casting details would say ‘no redheads’

Hair is so much more than what we see in the mirror. It’s linked intrinsically to who we are, to our identity, gender, culture and ethnicity, whether it’s the hair on our heads or our bodies. In the July/August issue of IMAGE Magazine, on sale now, our Junior Beauty Editor spoke to seven Irish women on how their relationships with hair has shaped their lives. Here, January Winters, model, presenter and DJ shares her story.

My hair is not naturally as red as it is now.

I dye mine to make it more vibrant, but it’s a really hard thing to get right. I’m naturally an auburn colour, but my mum is a redhead and I’ve got lots of ginger cousins.

I’ve always loved it. It’s an identity.

 

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A post shared by January Russell Winters ? (@januarywinters) on Jul 14, 2019 at 12:36pm PDT

I was never bullied for being a redhead, but when I was modelling in London, sometimes casting details would say “no redheads” in the description. So, I dyed my hair white blonde and bleached up my eyebrows, which pretty much destroyed my hair.

Related: Hair Stories: Taryn De Vere on being disgusted by body hair, then learning to love it

When I went back to my red hair, it looked so much better. I felt more like me.

I went back to red because blonde destroyed my hair and it was too much upkeep. I was getting it bleached every two weeks and my scalp felt like it was falling off. I’d get a lot of work for having red hair, so it’s a lot more beneficial to me having red hair than having blonde hair.

 

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A post shared by January Russell Winters ? (@januarywinters) on Apr 28, 2019 at 10:17am PDT

People stop me on the street and feel my hair a lot. I did a shoot recently for a photographer studying in Ireland doing a project on redheads.

The best thing about having red hair is its rarity. It’s so unique and it’s quite hard to imitate.

Read the stories of seven Irish women and their relationships with their hair in the July/August issue of IMAGE Magazine, on sale now. 

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