Tesco withdraws Christmas card that “pokes fun” at ginger children

[Honey]

Putting up with the occasional wisecrack and taunt is something that everyone with ginger hair has to live with.
But a redheaded mother-of-three was incensed when she saw a Christmas card featuring Santa Claus making a joke at the expense of ginger-haired children.
The card on sale at Tesco pictured a ginger-haired child on Father Christmas's knee with the words: 'SANTA loves all kids. Even GINGER ones.'

Seeing red: Davinia Phillips with daughters Kellsie, left, Georgia, right, and Kiera. She claims the card encourages 'discrimination' and urged stores not to sell it

Davinia Phillips, whose young daughters also have red hair, claimed the card encouraged 'discrimination' and complained to a member of staff at the York store who removed it from sale.
Mrs Phillips said:'I have shown it to a lot of friends and they are all disgusted by it. I just don't find it funny at all. My three girls are beautiful. I have never seen anything in my life promoting making fun out of people with ginger hair.
'Maybe I am just being naive but they shouldn't be able to make fun of ginger children like that. I showed my nine-year-old twins the card and they were confused, they asked my why it didn't just say "Santa loves all kids." It's quite upsetting.
'Kids do get bullied for looking different and people making cards like this encourages the bullies.
'The card company must be so desperate to sell cards they don't care who they offend in the process.

'Offensive': The Christmas card has been withdrawn by Tesco stores nationwide

'I don't want people to think I'm a full-time mum with nothing better to do than find something to complain about.
'I do have better things to do, but this just really touched a nerve. I'm sticking up for my kids, they are beautiful.'
Mrs Phillips and her unemployed partner have twin daughters Kellsie and Georgia, nine, and three-year-old Kiera.
The youngsters have already been teased at school over the colour of their hair.
She said:'A few weeks ago the girls came home from school a bit upset saying they had been called "Ginger ninjas".
'I just said there was nothing wrong with being a ginger, or a ninja for that matter.
'Kids will always find something to pick on but it's just wrong that a big company are now picking on ginger kids which is what this card is doing.'
Mrs Phillips added:'If it had been about a black child or an overweight child the store would have been shut down by now.
'Because Tesco are such a big company I am disappointed they would sell something like that, they should be aware of what's going on their shelves.'
A spokesman for Tesco confirmed the card has been withdrawn from its stores and apologised for causing offence. He said:'We sell a large range of Christmas cards including some which are intended to be humorous.
'It is never our intention to offend any customer and we are sorry if this card caused any upset.'
The card manufacturer, Essex-based Quitting Hollywood, has refused to comment and did not respond to Mrs Phillips' 'complaint'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235958/Mother-urges-Tesco-stop-selling-Christmas-card-pokes-fun-ginger-children.html#ixzz0ZoYklcWC

[sputnik]

lol i think it's hilarious. this bitch needs a sense of humour transplant.
last year my bday card from a (redhead) kiwi friend who thought it was hilarious was a postcard of an ad for the wellington zoo showing a redhaired little girl with a red popsicle and it says "look, there's a ginger one" and the tagline "they like looking at you too". and this was a tv ad as well in nz and no one got pissed off or complained about it. get a fucking life.
Posted from my iPhone

[Penny Lane]

I've never understood the ginger stigma... the card doesn't seem offensive to me but then again I don't really understand why ginger kids would even be the subject of a funny Christmas card anyways. Is it a cultural thing?

eta: nevermind.. I just googled it. Seems to be a European thing. I was always personally jealous of a classmate with red hair.. I think it's beautiful.

[twitchy2.0]

Santa hates poor kids though.

[C_is_for_Cookie]

Oh whatever. I'm a natural redhead and that card doesn't bother me. That lady looks like a raging bitch.

[Sarzy]

It made me laugh, I must admit.

[gsgrl29]

Redhead here too and it didn't bother me.

DD 4 loves my hair she says it's just like Ariels lol

[LaFolie]

I don't know...When I was a child, if I'd seen something like "Santa loves even skinny kids", I would have felt rejected or something. We adults understand the humour, but kids?

[HockeyRules]

My mom often told me that if I would have red hair, she would have thrown me in the trash. Nice, eh? So for years I didn't like redheads until I was older and realized there was nothing to fear or dislike about them.

[maryk]

lmao too bad it's hilarious

[lisalucy69]

I have never understood the stigma either. In fact my hair is dyed a deep burgundy red right now and I've also done my hair a lighter red in the past.

[McJag]

How sweet was she-showing it to her 0 year olds! They didn't have to see it or even know about it. For some reson,the mom's face makes me think "po face".

[Kittylady]

My mom often told me that if I would have red hair, she would have thrown me in the trash. Nice, eh? So for years I didn't like redheads until I was older and realized there was nothing to fear or dislike about them.

There really is a very British thing against red hair and it can get upsetting when you are a kid. My grandma would often joke to anyone who would listen that I was the milkman's kid because I have red hair and Ma Kitty and big bro are very blonde and sperm donor was mousy blonde/light brown. Then it was picked up and carried on by my aunt (brunette) and two slug-cousins (mousey and blonde) and never allowed to drop, so after years and years of it (and other stuff) I really felt like I wasn't a genuine part of the family and it did upset me. I heard everything from insinuations that my mum had been unfaithful during her marriage to having it joked about that I was "the family shame" for being the only redhead in a family of blondes and brunettes. One day I had been through a really bad day at school with my cousin. She was in the same class as me and had told everyone that I was adopted but didn't know about it and not to tell me - which of course someone did straight away. I burst into tears and told Ma Kitty about it, and about all the snide comments I had heard behind her back for years and that's when I found out where my red hair came from. Her Auntie Lilly, my grandmother's sister, had really beautiful red hair and was always very proud of it. She always hoped that one of her own children would inherit it, but the only one who did died not long after birth. When my older brother and eldest cousin were born my grandmother phoned her sister to boast and the first thing that Lilly asked was "What colour is their hair?". The information was passed on each time that they were blonde and usually within the next week or two Lilly would go and visit the new arrival. When I was born my grandmother made her usual call to brag and said straight out "Oh, and Lil... she's got red hair...". Within an hour of hearing that she was at my mum's and holding me. Daft as it sounds, that really made me feel better to know that I wasn't alone in the family and to know where my colouring came from. I really wish Lil hadn't died when I was so young as I think I would have liked having her in my corner

Now, as an adult, I get lots of compliments about my colouring but it really doesn't make up for the years of jibes and teasing I had to put up with from family members and other people. Oh, and the closest I can come to describing my shade of red is to say that it is quite similar to Princess Beatrice's, although thankfully that's all we have in common!

[collateral damage]

How sweet was she-showing it to her 0 year olds! They didn't have to see it or even know about it. For some reson,the mom's face makes me think "po face".

That's what I'm thinking? Why would she show it to her kids if she was worried about offending them?

[maryk]

oh and the youngest is just a daywalker for now.

Big ol whiny ginger!

SO calls me ginger sometimes I got sassy one day and pointed out I would never rearrange the letter and call him that name