Rating Redheads #2: Merida from Brave

 Since the first Rating Redheads subject was near and dear to my heart, I thought the second should be one I'm indifferent to. When Brave came out, I was SOOO excited for another redheaded heroine.

Then I watched it and... eh.

But we're not here for my opinions on the film, but my opinions on whether or not Merida is good redhead representation!

Merida is the daughter of a king in ancient Scotland. She's fiery and outspoken, and is good enough with a bow and arrow to shoot well from horseback. She is one of four children, all of which are redheads! Her father is also a redhead, with only her mother being a brunette.
Coming from a country where redheadedness is part of their culture, Merida has unique insight as a fire-haired character.

1) Accuracy to the Redhead Experience: 5/5
Brave takes place in Scotland, which is about 13% redheads at the time of writing, the highest percentage on Earth. So it makes sense when, in Merida's family of 5, only her mother is not a ginger. This is still a high percentage for a family with multiple kids, but since Merida's brothers are identical triplets, the odds are in their favor as far as the recessive gene.
Unlike most redheaded characters, Merida has fantastic 3B curls which are not only iconic, but also great representation for a subset of redheads. The dominant hairstyle for fictional gingers is straight/wavy, so it's nice to see a different but valid variant.
Merida also has the very common redheaded traits of light/sparse eyebrows and eyelashes! I'm a nitpicky person (believe it or not), so I notice when ginger characters have brunette brows and lashes, and it always bothers me. Merida proves you can have an emotive character while still staying true to redheaded body types.
And she has freckles! She really is the total redhead package. 

2) How Merida's gingerness is used: 4.5/5
Though it isn't blatantly stated in the film, Scotland's redheaded legacy takes front and center in this story. This is a place and time where fire-hairs were allowed to just be.
However, the gingerness of Merida and her family are still used narratively. They are the only redheaded clan and their hair color draws attention, making them easy to find in a crowd (relatable) and setting them apart as the Main Characters.
The contrast between Merida's red and her mother's brown still relies on the film language of red = feisty, brown = reserved. The mother is in contrast with the entire bombastic family, possibly hinting at her past in a different clan/lifestyle.

3) Stereotypes used: -1
Merida is your typical not-like-other-girls fiery archetype. The rebellious teenager trope was already tired by this time, in my opinion, which is why future Disney/Pixar films involving family (Coco, Moana, Encanto) don't rely on this for their main conflict.
Merida could have easily been a well-rounded, nuanced character: with flaws, yes, but reasoning behind her recklessness. As she is written, she came across to me as a stereotype of the angry redhead.

Final Score: 8.5/10

So as you can see, characters I love, like Ariel, can get low redhead scores, while characters I'm iffy on like Merida can score highly. While Brave didn't work for me, I still appreciate Merida for her redhead representation.