Sometimes, it's hard to be a ginger. We stick out in a crowd when all we want to do is fit in; we get sunburned during a rainstorm; there aren't, like... a lot of us... OK, so maybe it's not "that" "hard" to be a redhead, but there are definitely some unique things about the experience. That's why a new study that identifies the five most redhead-friendly states is so helpful. Or maybe "could be helpful" is a better way to put it. Why? Well... I'll get to that in a moment.
In a piece of analysis conducted by real estate site Estately, the 50 states of our nation were judged on six major elements: The fewest number of sunny days; the percentage of Facebook users interested in pro-redhead sites, issues, holidays, etc.; the percentage of Facebook users expressing interest in 26 redheaded celebrities, including Conan O'Brien and Christina Hendricks; number of local businesses with "redhead" or "redheaded" in the title per 10,000 residents; highest amount of redhead representation in Congress per constituents; and a preference for Ginger over Mary Ann. Because we know what the important things are in life, and it all comes down to Gilligan's Island.
Now, the criteria is, for the most part, not science-y. At all. The information about sunny days, or a lack thereof, is, admittedly, a good thing to know; apart from that, though? Well, your guess is as good as mine in terms of what a "pro-redhead issue" is. Better SPF regulations, maybe? The lack of redheaded emoji? Something like that?
Anyway, for those gingers who would feel safer living in a state with a redheaded Senator, here are the top five places you should move; head on over to Estately to see all 10 best states for redheads.
1. West Virginia
West Virginia holds the prized number one spot for places that like gingers, thanks to its general lack of sun and weird obsession with pro-redhead Facebook pages. Also of note, West Virginia does not actually prefer Ginger, nor does it prefer Mary Ann; it is, in fact, the only state that likes Gilligan more than either lady. So keep that in mind. Or don't. I don't really know what it means.
2. Kentucky
Apparently there's a drink called "Kentucky Redhead" that involves bourbon, ginger liqueur, lemon juice, and bitters. My birthday is coming up in two weeks and now I'm serving that for sure.
3. Ohio
Ahhhh, my home state. I have a lot of pride for Ohio, "the heart of it all," and apparently, Ohio has a lot of love for me. And all redheads, since it arranged the largest gathering of redheads in the world in 2010. The town, by the way, was specifically Dublin, OH. That was probably intentional, having it there. Well played, Ohio.
4. Indiana
Despite having a serious lack of redheaded congressional representation, Indiana slid into the number four spot because of its love of ginger-themed social media. Again, this is very perplexing to me and perhaps a little creepy.
5. Maryland
My girl Tori Amos is from here and she has red hair. Also, a lot of people in Maryland must like Lucille Ball and Beaker the Muppet, because they rank third in terms of interest in redheaded celebrities. Also, University of Maryland's colors include red, right? Hey, sports guys, right?
Check out the full listing over at Estately.
Images: Giphy; na.harii, Kim Seng, Brent Moore, Lior Shapira, clarkmaxwell, Charlie Stinchcomb/Flickr
