As we will be coming back from winter break in a matter of hours, I already know what I am going to see as I walk through the halls of my high school. Almost every girl who went to a warm vacation spot over the nice two-week break, is going to be wearing some kind of shirt or dress that shows off their "amazing" tan lines.
Studies have shown that people think tanner skin is more attractive and even healthier looking. Yes, the sun does provide people with that good vitamin D that we all need, but people really can overdue it. As I know my friends and peers do, they sit in a chair by a pool, or sit on a beach for hours on end, letting the Sun's UV rays burn into them. Of course they know the risks for skin cancer yet people are willing to take that risk, just to look tan. Because they like looking nice coming back from a vacation, many people then want to be tan all year round, when you know for sure they wouldn't be laying out.
"Sunless tanning products, spray-on tans, and cosmetic bronzers totaling $516 million annually, not to mention the indoor tanning industry and low-dose sunblocks marketed as "tanning creams." People go to such extremes just so they can look "good."
The odd thing is, tanned skin has truly changed meanings in the eyes of the public. Having tanned skin used to mean that you were working class person who had to do labor outside. However, that all changed with the Industrial Revolution when the working class got moved indoors into factories and then only the upper class could afford to go on elaborate vacations to warm, paradise. It is so interesting to see what Americans value as important now. To show your friends that you had a great time and a "successful" trip, you come back tan. It is funny how the perception of being tan has changed and how years ago it was considered a lesser thing to be darker. Now it seems that the tanner you are, the better.
Hey Jen you've been so active on your blog today! I'm #inspired and #amazed!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very relevant post because you are absolutely right about what you may run into at school tomorrow. People will sit out in the sun for hours just to achieve the tan/burn that is so called beautiful in our little bubble that we live in. I wonder if the desire to be tan is prevalent in other communities of different socioeconomic backgrounds? It is amazing how the shade of your skin can dictate so much about how you are perceived and treated by society.
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure where you were going initially, but I was intrigued by the socioeconomic angle you eventually explored. You might also relate this to issues of race. How do people of color perceive this obsession of whites?
Not sure how your reader is supposed to respond after reading this final line: "Now it seems that the tanner you are, the better." Do you agree with that statement? Unclear.