"Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered"

"I'll sing to her, bring spring to her
And long for the day when I'll cling to her"

Since my very first real-life crush, I've always been impartial to red-haired girls. A few friends know of this and some even picked up on it without me ever mentioning it. I never really knew why, but I think I may have accidentally traced it to it's roots.

Last night, I started watching "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" from the beginning (thanks to the ability to stream video online). I was reminded of a scene from the show when "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who came up on my iPod. After searching the net for a little while, I was able to find a site that has most of (if not all) "Buffy" episodes.
The show was well executed just as all critically-acclaimed shows are, and I'm pretty easily entertained so I enjoyed it immensely. However, as I grew older, I began to acknowledge "Buffy" as a TV show for "thinkers": shows that make you think or have deeper underlying themes worth discussing, making most, if not all, episodes open for dissection and discussion (in fact, a few years after the series wrapped, a book looking into the philosophical aspects and themes of the show was released). I always appreciated it for that and it was a trend that carried on in me when selecting TV shows I deemed worth following.
In any case, I sat down to watch the show, anxiously awaiting all the demon-slaying fun, teen-angst, and all that other good stuff. As the first episode progressed, I remembered what might have been my main draw toward the show back in the day: Willow Rosenberg!

Allyson Hannigan played Willow Rosenberg on BTVS

Willow was a somewhat meek and unpopular kid at school. Despite what some might deem as a poor social life, Willow was genuine and exhibited a sweet sort of modesty, a fierce loyalty towards those she loves, as well as a sharp mind and a sense of empathy. As time passed she became much more independent and became stronger both in character as well as in spirit (as well as becoming a powerful witch).
And she was quite cute.
Last night as I lay in bed, my mind began to wander in all kinds of directions (as it always does before I sleep). Now, I can't recall just how I did it, but I managed to put the pieces together and thus came to this conclusion: My affinity towards redheads comes from my ages-long crush on a fictitious television character! At long last the mystery had been solved. However, it got me thinking: what if my soft spot for red-haired girls wasn't the only thing that originated with my crush on Willow?

Things between Willow and I would never have worked out: she eventually discovered/ became a lesbian... and I'm not a girl.

I thought about other crushes I've had. Allyson Hannigan will forever be a crush of mine for having portrayed Willow on "Buffy". Amy Adams is also quite pretty (and she gets extra points for being as charming as she was in "Enchanted") and I've no doubt I'd turn into a blabbering idiot were I to meet her in person. However, these crushes are all based on superficial, physical traits; I can't really see myself happily dating either of them for their physical beauty alone (also, I don't stand a chance with them).
Then I thought about the girls I actually like(d). It's not a very long list at all, but they all seem to have fairly similar characteristics to those of Willow; traits I admire in a person and look for in a woman (or at least just happen to find).
Of course I'm not looking for someone who is the perfect personality-clone of Willow. That wouldn't be any fun. Parts of the experience of being with someone are getting to know the person even after you think you know everything about them and the unexpected ways life's experiences can and will mold us into the people of tomorrow. So, if I were to know exactly how to act around a girl or knew how she'd like to be treated or was conscious of all her talents, it really wouldn't be all that great. Even if a girl has similar traits to Willow, I would still want to get to know her and I'd want to learn more and more about her as time passes. I guess this explains both why I've been drawn to the girls I've been drawn to (like Taylor Swift).

I suppose I have Joss Whedon to thank for my specific interest in women. What it all boils down to though is that weither a girl has red hair or not doesn't really matter. What does matter to me is that she be genuine and somewhat modest, fiercely loyal towards those she loves, well as being equipped with a sharp mind and the ability to empathize to some degree; who feels and knows they have room to grow as a person and is willing let me help her to do so as much as she is willing to help me.
And I wouldn't complain if she was quite cute.

Taylor is actually the first blonde I've ever had a crush on... and she's a doozey of a crush (and totally in a league of her own)