These hair photography portraits aim to refute a common misconception about people with red hair: that they are always white.
It's common to hear jokes about redheads stepping into the sun and becoming fully red-bodied, but it would be a mistake to believe that all redheads share the same skin color. Michelle Marshall celebrates the diversity of gingers in this series of redhead portraits. Just as adorable freckles and beautiful tones of auburn and orange are abound, so is every shade. The series is called 'MC1R,' named after the gene for red hair.
Portrait series are a wonderful way to capture diversity and showcase the identities of groups or individuals in order to raise awareness and empathy in a respectful and empowering manner. These redhead portraits follow in the vein of projects like the enormously popular blog Humans of New York.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Diverse Hair Portraits
- Photography series showcasing diversity within a specific physical feature has potential for future portrait series that focus on other physical features, such as eye color or skin tone.
- Redheads and Representation
- Representation of a commonly misrepresented group, like redheads, can serve as a model for increased representation of other marginalized groups in media and advertising.
- Celebrating Genetic Diversity
- Highlighting genetic differences in a positive light can lead to greater acceptance of and appreciation for the variety among people.
Where This Applies
- Photography
- Portrait series like MC1R present an opportunity for photographers to expand on the idea of celebrating diversity and representation in their work.
- Fashion/beauty
- Increased visibility and representation of often-overlooked groups, like redheads, creates an opportunity for beauty and fashion industries to embrace and showcase people of all colors and backgrounds.
- Advertising/marketing
- Incorporating greater diversity in advertising campaigns and marketing strategies can lead to increased customer engagement and loyalty among diverse audiences.
