A Christmas card was taken off the shelves at two stores in York, England, after customers complained that it made fun of redheads, or “gingers” as the Brits call them. The card showed a little redhead kid sitting on Santa’s lap with text that read: “Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones.” Ha ha! One redhead woman saw it and said: “I thought maybe it was just me because I am a mother of kids with red hair, but a lot of my friends and other people I know, we are absolutely disgusted. Society comes down hard on how people look and there are so many children these days who are bullied because of how they look. If the card had been about an overweight child then the shop would have been shut down, and so would the people who made the card.” So, there you go, people: life is very, very, very hard for us redhead folk. People just don’t understand our plight! The bullying, the mean jokes, the way even Santa has a hard time letting us freckle-faced freaks on his lap: it’s so scarring! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment to get my roots touched up. [via BBC News]

Check out Christina Hendricks and Nicole Kidman, two of Hollywood’s more famous redheads. Now, look at their red, red lips. What do you think; do the red lip shades they choose work with their red hair? The jury is still out for me on Christina. (What do you think? Does it work?) But I think Nicole nailed this particular redhead/red-lipstick moment. I’m sure you’ve heard at some point the old idea that redheads can’t wear red anything (lipstick, dresses, etc.), but it’s actually total crap. What does apply to red lips and red hair is also the same rule that goes for wearing makeup of any kind, across the board—you have to take into consideration your skin tone, hair color and feature shapes. How does Nicole get her red lip so right?

I was born a redhead, but these days when people ask if my hair is natural I’m not sure the honest answer is still ‘yes.’ I started dying it shortly before my thirtieth birthday when my once fiery locks began fading a sort of washed-out auburn shade. At first, I was in denial about this sad sign of aging. I convinced myself it was seasonal, as my hair always darkened a bit in the winter, but when summer rolled around and my hair was still drab, I had to face the fact that youth wasn’t the only thing time was robbing me of; it was also trying to steal my identity.

Hair colorist to the stars, Rita Hazan, dishes out 10 rules for those lookin’ to go red.

1. Never pick a color that looks or sounds fake, like “Cherry Bomb.” Pick colors that are soft and natural.

2. Make sure you change your makeup; going red means making the necessary adjustments to your makeup!

3. As a redhead, it is also important to wear clothes that compliment your hair color. Fiery hair requires less details on clothing, you’re already making a bold statement with that color!

4. In the Fall and Winter, I suggest taking your red to a deeper, richer shade.