Why doesn’t Ed have a girlfriend? Because Sheran away!
Ed Sheeran has become a joke in the music industry, but not because of what most would think. Is it the obnoxiously large glasses he wears? Maybe the fact that he’s only 5’8? Could it be because he’s ginger? Ignore the first two— it is definitely because he is ginger.
Ever since I was young, I have always questioned the random hatred most had toward Sheeran. I had always suspected it was because of his bright orange ginger hair, or maybe they didn’t like his radio hits. But it was actually both, which continues to lead to a fuel of hatred.
“He is a really talented artist,” sophomore Maggie Stables said. “Lots of his hate is one, because he is a ginger, and two, he doesn’t really fit the standards of what celebrity men are supposed to look like.”
Many believe his music is very poorly written and production is very subpar. Lots of people think his billion-hit singles “Shape of You” and “Thinking Out Loud” are irritating. Quite frankly, I agree. Some of his lesser-known songs from his older albums are okay to listen to, but overall his radio hits are abysmal at best.
As his popularity rose, I noticed some of my ginger friends get compared to Sheeran, and they still do today.
Although some may be okay with it, getting made fun of a reference and your hair color is tiring.
“It is fun to stand out for your hair color,” sophomore Eli Weidner said. “If you’re trying to purposely be mean to someone for their hair color, you’re weird.”
Specifically, during the month of Saint Patrick’s Day, the ginger hate becomes even more prominent. Gingers have been facing discrimination since before the 16th and 17th centuries. During this time period, they were stripped of being “witches”. Another example is in 2009, a “South Park” episode called “Ginger Kids” really exacerbated hate against gingers. However, what if these are not the real reasons people hate Sheeran?
In a 2018 article, when his hate was at its peak, Sheeran mentioned in an interview with “TimeOut” that “people just hate that I’m doing well.” He then goes on to mention that he is just a very down-to-earth guy, which he thinks makes people mad.
Also in this interview, he was asked how he coped with internet hate. He eventually mentioned that the only way he could cope was to quit Twitter and give up his smartphone in order to not look at it. However, this leads to the question of whether this hate is completely unnecessary or if it is just an internet joke taken out of proportion.
Sheeran’s music is average at best; however, the level of hate he receives is overly redundant. As someone who likes to listen to artists’ discographies, defending his musical abilities and praising his production is not something I would do. However, as a person, he seems like a genuinely nice person that people have allowed to become the brunt of their jokes.
Although I am one to make fun of my ginger friends, the level of hate Sheeran receives is totally unprecedented.
