I'm Steven, but if you find a nickname you want call me thats cool too. I'm 26, have a daughter and I'm just trying to figure this thing called life out. if you like the details, join the journey.
This supposedly has to do with the fact that the original Celts were Iberian and their ancestors migrated across the strait of Gibraltar from Africa. The red-haired and pale look typically associated with Celtic identity likely comes from admixture from Germanic peoples. Remember that everyone’s ancestors came from Africa if you go far back enough.
Evidence of this phenotype can still be seen in some people today, particularly those from Wales and other western coastal regions. For example:
Welsh presenter Alex Jones
Welsh footballer Chris Coleman
Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones who can notably pass for Hispanic.
English actor Ian McShane
It’s important to note that none of these people are immigrants or descended from immigrants. They all come from families native to the British Isles.
The take-home message here is A) don’t ever let anyone tell you British = pale and B) this
may actually be one of the most accurate versions of Guinevere we’ve seen so far.
This post is hard to find because Tumblr hates links so I’m giving it a boost.
Let’s talk about Cheddar Man.
Cheddar Man was a Mesolithic hunter-gatherer whose bones were found in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, UK. He’s about 10,000 years old and from his DNA, it is likely that he had dark skin and pale eyes. He’s not alone! Other hunter-gatherers found in Spain, dating from around 7,000 years ago, showed similar genetics.
And even when we move into the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition and into the Neolithic, we have evidence of Whitehawk Woman and Lola (discovered in the UK and Denmark, respectively) - also with dark skin and pale eyes. Lola is incredibly cool because all we know of her is the DNA left on the birch pitch “chewing gum” she left behind.
It goes to show that when Homo sapiens radiated out of Africa (around 45,000 years ago, but now is not the time to talk about Out-of-Africa vs. Multiregional Continuity vs. Assimilation models), the switch from dark skin to pale skin did not happen as quickly as previously thought.
There are so many different skin tones because of the balance between UV radiation, folate, and Vitamin D. High UV exposure usually means darker skin because folate, an essential vitamin for growth and development, can be found in the skin and breaks down under high UV. High UV also means you’re getting plenty of Vitamin D from the sun, which you need for calcium absorption, amongst other things. Yes, more melanin also equals more protection from skin cancer, but from a natural selection point of view that doesn’t matter as much as folate and Vitamin D.
When humans started moving into areas with weaker UV (aka higher latitudes), that could have triggered a shift to paler skin to allow for more Vitamin D synthesis - and because UV is weaker overall, there isn’t as much concern about folate breaking down, either. However, if you’re getting enough Vitamin D from your diet, that shift from darker to paler skin need not happen - Inuit populations are a great example of this, and so are these historical examples.
It was probably only when during a shift to intensive agriculture in Neolithic Europe - and other areas, but Europe’s the one losing its mind over dark-skinned hunter-gatherers - that natural selection kicked in and there was a change where genes like MC1R shifted from producing eumelanin (brown-black pigment) to pheomelanin (reddish-pink). Intensive agriculture meant more monocropping and less diversity in diet. The Vitamin D that was once coming from the diet now needed to come from Vitamin D synthesis within the skin.
Why my very English mother is much darker than I, a biracial Native American, am. I did not get my color phenotypes from either parent or any recent relative, I’m a genetic throwback to some very pale ancestor in what is now the UK
If youre trans, this video is a good ref to start with and she provides links and organizations that can help
^I’ve been loving this channel lately, and this is a particularly good video about how to have your wishes respected after you die if you have family who may NOT respect you/your identity.
Such a good idea to make a plan. And also watch Caitlin’s channel (and read her books).
THIS IS NOT JUST WILLS
Also check up on your Power of Attorney. If you’re in a coma/unresponsive state they divert to legal next of kin.
EVERYONE needs to have a plan. While it is especially important for people who are estranged from their legal next of kin please please please have these conversations with your loved ones. These are so important and the last thing your grieving family needs is to worry they aren’t respecting your wishes (burial or cremation? Do you want to donate your organs? Who do you want to give your belongings to? These are not intuitive concepts and your family will stress of getting it wrong) simply because they didn’t know them.
Also Caitlin Doughty is fucking boss. Just sayn.
The Advance Healthcare Directive is SUPER important. Please make one and keep it updated (they expire every few years). If you are old, are disabled, have any mental health issues, engage in any form of self-harm, or have any history of suicidal ideation or suicide attempts, lots of healthcare folks are all too happy to declare you unfit to make decisions for yourself.
Remember that even if you trust them, the people who love you can make really extreme and harmful decisions when they’re scared they could lose you.
