Reds

Redheads are like other women--only more so. The first thing you notice is a soft fire around their faces--an auburn halo that vibrates in high gear. A kind of heat that has nothing to do with temperature radiates from them like a visual perfume: a curious, insistent allure. Redheads come in several shades and temperaments. For example, there are fiery redheads with strong voices and keen wills--Lucille Ball is that group's acknowledged patron saint. There are fiery redheads who have their thermostats on permanent simmer--picture Ann-Margret when she's not dancing but is dressed as though she might at any minute transform her hips into a metronome. There are redheads who look as if they have just come from a shower and are pink from vigorous towel drying--Annette O'Toole has part of the franchise on that look. There are redheads with historical purpose (Elizabeth I), redheads with social purpose (Margaret Sanger), redheads with chops (Lizzie Borden). By a happy coincidence of pigment and spark, redheads improve the world around them.