Nicola Red

I am Nicola Red...
so-called for obvious reasons :)
I'm 33, I'm originally from Preston, Lancs, UK and now live in Manchester - the second capital of the UK - with my lovely flatmate Dan and my two pet rats, Gilligan and Gabriel.
People have compared me to the following famous redheads:
Jane Goldman
Ariel, the Little Mermaid
Jessica Rabbit
Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ruby Gloom
and Red the Fraggle
I have thirteen tattoos and pierced nose, ears, labret and tongue. I love tattoos and piercings - I think bodily decoration tells our stories and maps out our lives. I'm also curvy and proud - I love my food and I feel very strongly about body image fascism and our damaging culture of 'thinness' that affects so many women - but the fact that I have big boobs does NOT mean I'm stupid or like being treated as an object (men please take note).
I was born with congenital dislocation of the hip. I've undergone a total of eight surgeries - including wearing the brace shown in one of my pics. I believe (hope) that growing up with this has made me a stronger, more resilient person. I also now have a fab selection of scars on my left hip and thigh. I think of scars as being much like tattoos - they tell my story. In fact I have a tattoo which says "scarred for life" in Sanskrit running down my thigh.
I'm single and childfree by choice and I'm always up for meeting people, having fun and dating. I'm also bisexual and very comfortable and happy with that. I'm open-minded and I find that I see beauty in many different people. To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine on here, I am attracted to people, not genders.
Something else that's important about me is that I've been a vegetarian for 15 years and a vegan for the last nine
I'm not a militant, but I do care deeply about animal welfare. That's not to say that I can't be friends with meat-eaters - as always, I'm open-minded. I'm a very peaceful, tolerant person.
My non-career: I have a degree in Journalism from the University of Central Lancs and an MA in Womens Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University, and hope to begin studying for a PhD next year. In the meantime, I currently work in the box office of an arts complex with two theatres - sometimes I'm the duty manager, sometimes just a lackey. I sell a lot of tickets to a lot of idiots - but as well as seeing some amazing drama, dance and comedy that I wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to, I get to meet a lot of C-list celebs. So it's not a bad job really...
Links I Like
I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER - gotta love those Lolcats!
THE IDLER - learn about how to skive in style
NICE CUP OF TEA & A SIT DOWN - more aids to skiving and a classic Northern interest
DRACINABOX CLOTHING - cool corsets, dresses and other acoutrements
SUICIDE GIRLS - the alternative pinup girl site of choice
VEGANSTORE - buy vegan chocolate, sweets, cakes and almost anything else animal-free your heart desires
EBAY - the shoppng Mecca for anything and everything!!
POPBITCH - catch up on the most scandalous celeb gossip
BEE UNIQUE - hair dye and other cosmetics - see me on the site showing off my hair colour here
WHAT KATIE DID - glam vintage style underwear, hosiery and corsets for that Bettie look
HOTEL CHOCOLAT - amazing luxury chocolate, plenty of vegan choices and they have a branch in Manchester too :)
Things Which Piss Me Off
Cooler-than-thou people. Not just on here, but in general. I read so many profiles of people who make it very clear that they're not interested in meeting others cos they don't consider them "cool" enough. Why are they on myspace if they don't want to meet people? I don't get it.
Closed-mindedness. I have my beliefs and principles, but I'm always open to intelligent debate and trying new things. That's very important to me.
Chav culture. Because it's born of the closed-mindedness I mention above and a reverse snobbery I also hate. I get so many taunts from chavs/scallies cos of my appearance. Grow up.
Violence. In all forms.
Misogyny. This includes many things: men who treat women like objects, double standards and hypocrisy - it's okay for men to sleep around, but not women? WTF? - and also women who are ignorant of feminism. There are still so many issues that affect us all and I'd love to see more awareness amongst girls and young women. Knowledge is power.
Bad manners. Pushing in front of people...blocking people's way...not saying please and thankyou...who brought these people up??
Having no money. why is it that no matter how much I earn, I'm always poor? :-)
Hayfever. I must have been very bad in a previous life to suffer as badly as I do. Apparently, I'll grow out of it...
Robbie Williams. Can't stand the bloke. I do hate violence, but this man has just got one of those faces you really want to punch.
Mushrooms. Food of Satan.