He's not the only one obsessing over follicles.

This year's Big Brother contestants seem more concerned with hairstraightening than anything else. Acres of news coverage have been devoted to the hairstyles of the presidential candidates stateside. Closer to home, the changing quiffs of Enda Kenny were a longrunning election sideline.

And he even cunningly changed his hair colour on his election poster. In politics, as in life, it's all about hair. Fine Gael would have imploded all the sooner if Kenny had remained true to his roots.

Gingerism, or the wanton abuse of those with red hair, has grown to epidemic proportions. Last month, a redhaired family from Newcastle claimed they were forced to move home twice because of bullying over their hair colour. The BBC's follow-up story, "Is gingerism as bad as racism?", was the most popular on their site for days and dozens commented on it.

Some agreed the term "ginger" is very offensive, others laughed it off. Most were redheads and talked about bullying they had endured on the Tube and in school. The story grew and grew and the UK Commission for Racial Equality eventually had to get involved, refusing to accept responsibility for monitoring ginger hate-crimes.

As a card-carrying freckle-faced ginger, I've had my fair share of ginger abuse. I know all the jokes and I've been called every name: ging, gingerminger, even Bluey once in Australia. But come on.

The history and political fallout of race relations and racist language just isn't the same as a bit of slagging about temperament or hair colour. It might be annoying, it might be unoriginal, it might even ruin your schooldays, but you can't say gingerism is as bad as racism.

Ginger life has some advantages . . . people might be scared to get on a boat with us but that just means more room on the ferry. And any redhead will tell you the gingerist attention we get in Italy or Spain is far from negative.

But there's no denying that it's not easy being ginger. Apparently, we have a lower pain threshold and bruise easily. Growing up is tough enough without having Chris Evans and Geri Halliwell as your role models and most of us fry at the slightest hint of sunshine.

Hang on. Maybe we do deserve some recognition. Maybe the time has finally come for us gingers to unite against society's prejudices. Be proud of your flaming locks, fellow gingers! Cast away the shackles of brunette hair dye and the stop calling yourself strawberry blonde! Together, we can stop the oppression! And if anyone tries to stop us, we'll all just get really, really angry. . .