Red Haired Women I Greatly Admire

Roger Sterling from the TV series Mad Men (set in the world of advertising in 1960’s New York City) describes red headed women as – “a drop of strawberry jam in a glass of milk.”

I love this description!!!!

I have long had a fascination and admiration for red hair. I had for many years wanted to dye my natural blonde hair red like my idol, the gorgeous Rita Hayworth. I love the notion that red headed women are fiery and passionate. This was (and still is) so sexy to me. I wanted to be more like that. I wanted to break free of my blonde hair and how I thought others saw me – blondes can’t be smart. At the time I was a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) student, researching a gastrointestinal bacterium and a scientist, and I wondered what others thought of my science career and long blonde hair. But, for me the key deciding factor was wanting to have red hair (and a glamorous 1940’s wavy hairstyle) like Rita. I loved 1940’s fashion and glamour and I wanted to have the hair to match some of the retro / vintage styled clothes I wore.

And when I did dye my hair red (auburn) I felt more empowered and more self confident (it helped to shake of some of the shackles of self doubt). I seemed to me be noticed more. And it looked natural with my colouring and green-blue eyes. I should have been born a red head!! Now, when the red dye fades a little and I look more strawberry blonde, I find myself wanting to dye it bright red again (the colour of Christina Hendricks or Rita Hayworth or Isla Fisher’s hair) and be a vibrant red head.

These red haired women I really admire and have influenced me greatly
– Rita Hayworth
– Lucille Ball
– Christina Hendricks

I also admire the following women and their lovely red tresses (whether natural or dyed)
– Isla Fischer
– Juliane Moore
– Jessica Rabbit (cartoon I know, but a glamorous red head)
– Poison Ivy (character)
– Amy Adams
– Marcia Cross
– Alicia de Witt
– Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine
– My friend Bec (who has been a red head since high school and who constantly got in trouble for her red hair)
– My partner’s Nana

Empowered Femininity

Empowered femininity

I think retro style pin-up girls (neo pin-ups) and burlesque (neo-burlesque) dancers embody this sort of sex appeal.

Heart, soul, beauty, personality, elegance, confidence, strong sense of female sexuality, femininity etc.

Pin-up girls (especially those by Vargas and Gil Elvgren) had a huge influence on me. In the Pin-up girl there is an awesome combination of sex appeal, femininity, elegance and self awareness.

Femme Fatales from film noir movies and detective novels as well embodied this with their strong sense of female sexuality, glamour, toughness and an element of “deadliness,” hence the name fatale.

Scientist Pin-Up Girls – empowering, not porn

Sapphicscientist's Blog

As an original and retro styled pin-up girl fan and a scientist, I think it would great to have scientist pin-up girls. Empowered, intelligent, lady scientists with retro styled fashion and make-up. Oh, red lipstick would look a treat with a crisp white lab coat and funky sneakers! As a sex positive feminist, lesbian and an empowered woman who is proud of her female and lesbian sexuality and her intellect and scientific abilities, I think this would be so fun, empowering and a chance to express science and sexuality. I’d promote this and join in. Maybe this would also help get a lesbian audience interested in science and the achievements of female scientists, all but in a kind of around about way. Bring on the retro styled lady scientist pin-ups!

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Dita Von Teese article on beauty etc

I was reading the Into the Gloss interview with Dita Von Teese yesterday. I thought it was hugely inspiring and great to hear about her love for red lipstick and self expression. Particularly loved the bit about considering what you feel beautiful.

Make-up, beauty, self confidence is really what we make it, what we want, how we want to please ourselves and our partners, and how we express our interests, personalities and tastes to the world.

Have a read. I’d love to hear other peoples thoughts – http://intothegloss.com/2012/10/dita-von-teese-burlesque-dancer/

Photo taken from the Into the Gloss interview.