All my friends hate her I like her?

So I've been hanging out with this girl lately who I think is really smart, funny, and witty (basically everything I've been looking for in a girl). All of my friends keep on telling me that I should just ignore her, and not hang out with her again. They say she's ugly and not in my league and that I should start dating this redhead who I've gone out with a couple times. I feel like my friends are really shallow, but if I ask this girl out, they'll never stop making me the punchline of all their jokes. I'm really caught between a rock and a hard place, should I go out with this girl and possibly be rejected by all my friends, or should I go with this redhead chick who I don't really feel a connection with, but will keep my social standing. I mean, I can't really tell my friends to go screw themselves, I've hung out with most of them since middle school if not elementary. :/