For years, there’s been a weird rumor floating around that redheads are going extinct, partially because of climate change — yes, really — and partially because many see having red hair as an undesirable trait. Not only has this myth been thoroughly debunked, but it turns out that thanks to noted ginger Ed Sheeran, we might even start seeing more gingers in the world.
As NME notes, research done by Casumo found that a fifth of red-haired men aged 25 to 34 have gotten more sexual attention from women and are teased less about their hair color as Sheeran has grown more and more popular, dubbing this impact “The Ed Sheeran Effect.”
A Casumo spokesman said:
“It’s unsurprising that red-heads are attracting more attention now than in previous years. Donning fiery red locks are popular among both male and female celebs with stars like Emma Stone and Isla Fisher leading the way for red-headed women. Ed Sheeran has shown how his appearance has no affect on his talent and more people are embracing their natural color.”
This data is also supported by a recent poll conducted by OnePoll.com: Speaking to 175 ginger men and 1,000 women, they found that a third of women have a more favorable opinion on red-headed men in light of Sheeran’s popularity, and that men are more confident about their fiery locks.
Sheeran has previously noted that although he was bullied as a kid because of his hair, the uncommon trait was actually a positive for his career, saying, “Being ginger can seem like a bad thing when you are young, but as a musician it has been my saving grace, because if you see a ginger kid on TV and there is only one messy-haired ginger kid who plays guitar, it is very easy to find them on Youtube.”
As for his celebrity helping other gingers get lucky, Sheeran has been aware of this since as far back as 2015, when he said that plenty of redheaded men impersonate him in order to woo women:
“There are a lot of ginger dudes in England who are using me. That’s why I’m not hating on it. You know what, we’re finally getting laid! This is a good thing.”
Unfortunately, his red hair hasn’t protected Sheeran from being heavily criticized for his recent Game Of Thrones guest appearance, although he did snag the VMA for Artist Of The Year.
