British model Lily Cole has compared being bullied for having red hair to racial abuse in a recent interview on poet laureate Simon Armitage's BBC podcast.
The 32-year-old beauty talked about being subjected to years of "damaging" slurs for her ginger locks when she was at school.
Despite the taunts, Cole was signed by Storm model agency in 2003 at the tender age of 15. Furthermore, by the time she was 16, she had already landed her first Vogue cover.
She maintains that the verbal abuse she contended with as a youngster was similar to prejudice based on race as her red hair is a feature she cannot change.
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"On a surface level it was mostly because I had red hair. And at that time in England - and I still think it exists as a problem - being ginger was a common kind of slur."
I think it's really problematic because it's the kind of slur that's largely overlooked by teachers because it's not really politically incorrect."
Cole then continued: "It's not a racial slur but it's also not dissimilar because it's something a child can't change about themselves, short of dyeing their hair.
"My mum said it was jealousy but I didn't really believe that. It can be really damaging."
Cole is one of the most successful models in the UK, previously being named Model of the Year at the 2004 British Fashion Awards. Moreover, she has worked for big labels in fashion including Alexander McQueen, Moschino, and Chanel.
The 5'10 beauty shares a four-year-old daughter Wylde with her partner Kwame Ferreira.
You can listen to the podcast here.