Rating Redheads #5: Kim Possible

 Just a bit late of this gymnastic ginger's 20th anniversary, we're discussing Kim Possible!

*cue theme song*

 

Full disclosure: Kim Possible is one of my favorite shows of all time, and Kim herself was a HUGE role model for me growing up. Besides being a red-haired, green-eyed female like me, Kim is in equal parts empowering and down to earth. But how does she rank as a redhead?

Accuracy to the redhead experience: 4/5
It's always hard to judge cartoon redheads on design, bc almost all of them have the dark eyebrows and lashes to make expressions more readable. Kim, however, compromises with dark eyebrows, but no bold lashes. She doesn't have freckles, but she's known to suffer from acne. As a Type A who's very particular about her appearance, one has to assume she has a thorough skin care routine.
Unlike many other entries in this blog, Kim is the main character is a long-running series, so there's a lot more time to flesh out her ginger history.
For example, we know from the Sitch in Time TV movie that Kim had freckles as a child, and braces as a young teen. We know from episodes like "The Golden Years" that being a ginger runs in the family. (This is actually a rare instance where the redheaded character makes genetic sense. The MC1R gene has to be passed down by both parents. Kim's mom, being a ginger, obviously has it, and Kim's paternal grandmother is also ginger, which means both parents have the gene.)
Kim is an idealized teenager: no one can do what she does in real life. However, the writers do a good job grounding her through relatable dilemmas, and having Kim lose in mundane life while defeating supervillains. So while her superhero life isn't true to being a ginger, her everyday life often is.

How her gingerness is used in the show: 1.5/5
Like I touched on above, Kim's mother and grandmother are both gingers, so even though Kim being a redhead is a design choice, they made it believable in the context of the show.
Kim's villains often recognize her by or comment on her red hair, Motor Ed in particular calling her "Red."
However, Kim is not bullied for her hair color, nor is it made a big deal (not that it has to, just an observation).
Kim's design and color palette heavily rely on her hair for silhouette and balance, respectively. If Kim's hair color was changed it wouldn't change anything about the show, but she also wouldn't be as iconic.

Stereotypes:-0.5
Kim is another example of the "special" trope. She isn't special because of her red hair, but she has red hair because she is special. However, I'm not taking off a full point for this because they explain her red hair in canon, and she's also not the only red head in the series. There are extras and other characters with red hair, so her "special" status isn't as blatant.

Rating: 5/10

I wish I could rate Kim higher because I love her show and she's the best role model on this list so far.
So I must reiterate this rating system is only in relation to the gingerness of the character, not the merit of the character themself.
Kim will continue to be not only one of my favorite redheaded characters, but favorite characters in general.