One of the interesting things I like about Game of Thrones is that it doesn't seem afraid to appeal to traditional stereotypes regarding looks and racial characteristics. You have the often red-haired Wildlings from north of the wall, the blond-haired Lannisters. The silver-haired Targaryens. The swarthy uncivilised Dothraki tribes from across the sea - along with the countless other darker-skinned slaves and nomads which eventually end up following Daernerys Targaryen.
(The blond-haired Lannister family)
These stereotypes, all in someway lifted from actual history and human folklore, have led to accusations that the show helps perpetuate racist views and myths. Personally I would disagree with this, though I understand why people would make this accusation. It is after all quite striking to see a milk white woman being worshipped by hordes of black and brown people on TV - especially in today's era.
(Daernerys Targaryen being lauded by her followers)
I remember how well these tribal and family characteristics stood out when I first started watching the series - "the blond ones are Lannisters, they're all bad, the dark-haired and red-haired ones are northerners, they're good". It was like I was being told a fairy tale that I was already vaguely familiar with.
I wonder if some of the show's success lies in this appeal to these traditional tropes and associations that we all carry within ourselves somewhere deep down. Does a blonde-haired princess just make more sense to us deep down on some fundamental level? Is this a product of our culture and history, or is there some tiny degree of truth in such stereotypes? It's uncomfortable, but interesting ground to cover. I certainly don't think it's good to shy away from such topics, or to censor any such artistic expressions. Again though, people are also well entitled to express any counter opinions they may have.
Personally, I prefer my TV and art to be edgy. The false and sickly tokenism we generally see today in the mainstream is just a recipe for boredom in my opinion. We mentioned before on this blog the increasing number of "token" redheads in adverts and on TV. The effort and intent is appreciated, and I'm sure it stems from a desire to do good, but I wouldn't want a generic redhead inserted unnecessarily into some TV show on my behalf. I'm sure most black people feel the same about the endless stream of black "everyman" actors we see in the media. If diversity means a diverse range of inoffensive characters everywhere then it's kinda gonna suck a bit entertainment wise.
Anyhow, with all that said, I'll list below some of the main red-haired characters that are in the show.
Sansa Stark: Eldest daughter of Eddard Stark, one of the main characters in the show. Her mother, Catelyn Stark, is also somewhat red-haired, though hers tends more towards the auburn in shade.
Ygritte: A Wildling from north of the wall, love interest of Jon Snow.
Melisandre: Also known as The Red Woman. A witch or sorceress.
Ros: A red-haired prostitute.
Tormund Giantsbane: A red-haired and red-bearded Wildling.
(Clockwise from top left;
Ros, Sansa Stark, The Red Woman, Ygritte)
(Tormund Giantsbane)
One of the more interesting references to red hair in the series comes in Season Seven, Episode Six when Tormund is in conversation with the Hound;
The Hound: Gingers I hate.
Tormund: Gingers are beautiful. Kissed by fire.
A similar mention comes in Season Three when Ygritte describes to Jon the person she lost her virginity to; "He came trading with his brothers. He had red hair like me. Kissed by fire". There are also numerous other mentions of red hair throughout the series, though some aren't quite as rosy in sentiment as this, such as when the character Bronn describes the man he stole the prostitute Shae from as a "ginger cunt", or when a fellow Wildling suggests that Ygritte would offer up her "ginger minge" to Jon Snow. I'll refrain from quoting that bit of dialogue in full xD
Watching the series I've quite enjoyed the frequent references to red hair. The positive mentions of it, plus the numerous strong red-haired characters, suggest a certain warmth for the trait on the part of the show's writers (I've never read the actual books, so it might be worth finding out if the theme is as strong there too). The use of terms such as "ginger" and "ginger minge" as insults in show also add to the realness and relatability. Quite a surprisingly British use of language for an American TV series.
In fact, I wonder if the weakness of the black characters in the show is actually due to the inability on the part of the writers to aim such blunt language towards them. The series abounds with labels such as "ginger cunt", "blond-haired bastards", etc, which all give an added edge to the various factional rivalries in the show. There's also a fair amount of un-PC insults thrown towards gay and female characters in show. I wonder if the real racism lies in the show not using similar language towards its black characters. The feisty redheads in the show get insulted, which then gives them the opportunity to insult back. The various black characters in the show never get the opportunity to have the same type of exchanges - and it's these types of exchanges that in many ways make the show so endearing to its fans. Maybe that's where the problem lies.
Either way I look forward to Season Eight :D
