Photographer launches project to prevent bullying against redheads
Bianca Duimel wants to break the stigma surrounding red hair
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Your support makes all the difference.A New Zealand photographer is hoping to change the conversation around red hair with a powerful art project.
Bianca Duimel, from New Zealand, was inspired to start a new portrait series after discovering the effects of bullying on redheads.
On the hunt for a new project, Duimel revealed that she was captivated by the incredible colour of a young girl’s hair in her daughter’s gymnastic class.
However, after speaking to the girl’s mother, she discovered that the youngster was in fact bullied for her showstopping mane.
“I was looking for children for an art project and there was a girl Brodie Lee at our local gym with the longest most amazing red hair,” Duimel told The Independent.
“People were always commenting on her amazing hair but her mother, also a redhead, told me that Brodie-Lee was actually being bullied about her look.
“Her mum had also been bullied all her life for having red hair and I found this so paradoxical and really wanted to bring light to the issue of bullying.”
After shooting a series of portraits with Brodie-Lee, Duimel decided that she wanted to use her visual art to convey a powerful message and set about creating a book full of redheads.
After putting out an open call for models on Facebook, the photographer was inundated with participants of all ages.
A total of 70 portraits from her first shoot made it in to her first book, Red Matters, and her second book, which is due out at the end of this month, will feature 100 more.
Duimel explained she didn't hand-pick those she photographed and instead snapped anyone who wanted to participate.
She also added that while shooting the images many of the models opened up about how they suffered name-calling and bullying as a result of their appearance but that the images helped them to feel good about themselves.
“The really gorgeous thing is how people feel when they have their photoshoot,” she said.
“They are super excited and leave with a bounce in their step, giving them a boost of confidence and a feeling of pride.”
Duimel hopes that the Red Matters project will challenge the stigma surrounding red hair and make people think about how they shouldn’t treat others differently simply based on the way the way they look.
The first book, Red Matters, is available to buy now with a portion of proceeds going to Kidsline – a telephone counselling service for children up to 18 years of age.
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