Controversial 'Gingers are Black now' TikTok trend sparks unity in discussions about race

A new discussion on TikTok that has gone viral has been creating intriguing conversations about race that are compelling, funny, unifying, or infuriating depending on your perspective. The topic? Simply put, the idea that “gingers are Black now.”

While acknowledging that there are drastic differences in terms of the violent history of slavery, the fight for Civil Rights, and other micro/macro-aggressions towards the Black community that white people haven’t experienced, the conversation spurred upon the realization that many redheaded white people have also had been discriminated, fetishized, and othered by members of the white community. This spawned hundreds of videos from TikTokers sharing their thoughts, especially redheads who feel "seen" by the comparison.

Again, while the majority are in agreement that it doesn't share the same severity as racism, "gingerism" has been cited as a real form of discrimination and prejudice, especially in Europe. Redheaded people are considered a minority group with an estimated 2% of the world's population having red hair, including redheads who are Black.

This has led to several Black TikTokers "claiming" white gingers, noting how while there are obvious differences, they recognize similar issues. While it's not the Black experience, many in this TikTok trend are pointing out and arguing that redheads are "the Black people of white people" and acknowledging some of the overlaps.

Several TikTokers, Black and white, shared their takes in both serious and playful fashion in unity. For example, several redheaded women discussed how they learned how to groom their curlier hair from Black women or Black hair stylists, along with stories about strangers randomly wanting to touch their hair without permission. Other redheaded white TikTokers discussed how they get asked "Where are you from?" as in "country of origin" or how non-redheads point out that they have met redheads before or have redhead friends like the "token Black friend" trope. Some have pointed out that in remakes of different films and TV shows that redheaded white characters have been rebooted as Black and vice-versa. Several of the redheaded posts discussed how they're just happy that their experience of being picked on or othered because of their natural hair color was validated and that they've been welcomed by a community.

Some members of the Black community agreed with this "Orange is the new Black" take, as one commenter put it, and welcomed their "Cayenne Cousins." Many Black TikTokers cited family members of theirs who had red hair and white-passing redheaded relatives in their background. Others also broke down on how redheaded white people might have come from Black origins.

However, while there are playful tongue-in-cheek responses of white redhead TikTokers showing off their spice shelves or asking to be invited to the cookout, others show concern that this trend will lead to further appropriation of Black culture,. They also argue that this trend might ignore the fact that there are already redheaded Black people, and downplay the struggles of Black communities. Other TikTokers, including white ones, also point out that this isn't much of a take since every race originated in Africa in the first place. There are some white TikTokers that love the conversation and the playfulness around it, but acknowledge white privilege being an issue in current society.

As the online discourse continues, whether the Black experience is comparable in any way to the white redhead experience will still be in debate long after the trend is done. However, what's not in dispute is the hope that the end result will be a better understanding of all cultures and universal acceptance of people regardless of their skin or hair color.