Why is there such a big 'tan' fad?

Dec 31, 2014

Danielle P.

I have light skin, I actually love the fact that my skin is fair. why is it that most women I see these days are using up bronzers or going to tanning beds? when did light/fair skin become 'out of style' and why? having fair skin used to be a 'fad' and an idealistic trait of beauty. I think that its ridiculous how girls of fair skin make themselves orange or expose themselves to radiation and a skin tone that is not their natural tone.
what's the deal?

Dec 31, 2014

Shanae J.

I understand what you mean. I use a gradual tanner sometimes, but most of the time I rock my crazy white skin lol. I feel like some people take it extremely too far, as an addiction or something and they look ridiculous. Some people just do it because they want something different, like me, I feel like with tan skin, I can wear certain colors of makeup and clothing that wouldn't look right with my usual pale skin, and vice versa.

Dec 31, 2014

Jill K.

I don't know. I'm on the pale side and I don't use tanning beds. Even for my wedding, I didn't use tanning beds like a lot of people do.

Dec 31, 2014

Maria L.

I live in Florida and actually stay inside most of the summer because I just don't like the way I look when I'm tanned. My skin tone becomes medium, on the brink of deep, and I don't find it flattering on me. I'm letting myself fade back to yellow lol.

Dec 31, 2014

Danielle P.

Good to see others that feel the same way that I do, lol.

Dec 31, 2014

Liilly M.

I'm never used to getting tanned! I was at an art show one day, we walked around for a couple hours, and when I woke up, there were tan lines on my feet, and because I rarely get tan, I thought it was dirt! Lol! XD.

Dec 31, 2014

Gabby M.

Honestly I don't really care what others do :p if they think that looks pretty that's their opinion lol :) I have pale skin too, I personally wouldn't want to go to tanning salons and all that because I don't want to damage my skin, but if other girls want to I think they should do whatever makes them feel pretty :)

Dec 31, 2014

Shelley W.

Here where I'm at its big business. People actually still believe the myth that tanning beds are actually safer than the sun. My sister-in-law is super pale and she looks gorgeous. I saw her with a tan once and I wanted to lock her up in a dark closet for the rest of the year. It was not a pretty look on her. I think all skin tones are beautiful so why mess with something that is already perfect.

Its funny you posted this because yesterday someone at the grocery store commented on my youngest son complexion (he's biracial) and before I could respond he told the woman that "my brown mommy and my white daddy created my skintone". She had told him that he had a nice tan. I think she turned 10 shades of red out of embarrassment.

Dec 31, 2014

Emily B.

OMG I'm wondering this too! I always see people on YouTube having nice skin then putting foundation that's wayyy too dark! I don't understand it...it looks so much better and more natural just being your skin color. Way too much orange! I agree with you Danielle, it's ridiculous!

Dec 31, 2014

Shanae J.

@Shelley, my son says similar things when people start talking to me about his skin complexion, although majority of his comments I have to explain afterwards what he means. He's biracial as well and he gets compliments on his "tan" almost every time we go to the store.

Dec 31, 2014

Lauren G.

I've been into sunscreen alllll over lately. I'd rather be pale and not look like a leather bag when I'm 40.

Dec 31, 2014

Ella M.

I don like it either. I love my light skin.

Dec 31, 2014

Shelley W.

Yay Lauren!! Keep it up girl. Over the years I kept missing a spot to apply sunscreen and I ended up with melanoma on my back. The surgery and aftercare was horrible. Wouldn't wish skin cancer on my worst enemy.

Dec 31, 2014

Mariah C.

I also wonder about this too.. I was born pretty light but since I love being outside during the summer I've gotten a little darker, but it always fades off... Anyways there are a lot of people who have pale skin!! Like Taylor Swift :)

Dec 31, 2014

Shanae J.

Some people look better tan, others look better not so tan. I feel like if people want to tan, they should really take advantage of the cheap but just as good alternatives to the bed! Such as the lotions and sprays.

Dec 31, 2014

Kelly H.

It's so funny that this thread came up. I went to MAC this past summer to get matched and get a sample of foundation I wanted to try, the MAC girl was congratulating me on not being a crazy tan junkie, she said that's all she sees and was glad to see someone rocking their naturally pale skin, oddly I did have a slight tan from working in the yard, but even with a little color I'm pale. Which is why I was there, cause my DiorSnow wasn't matching up right. lol. I guess I didn't realize how far out of the way everyone goes for that bronzed look. I occasionally lay in a tanning bed with spf50 sunscreen when my psoriasis breakouts are at there worst, but it's rare and even then I'm not comfortable with the exposure.

Dec 31, 2014

Sarah N.

For the why question, it's just the trend of the moment, the same way thin is in. Before, tanning was a sign of working outside, doing manual labor, and being poor. Just like before, having some extra weight showed you could afford to feed yourself. After a while, I'm sure we'll swing back to pale and maybe to a bit heavier too, it's just a trend. As for me personally, I love my pale skin because it stands out. Most of the girls at my University are tan and bronze and whatever words you'd like to use. I always get complements on my beautiful pale skin, and it's certainly quite eye-catching among the orange.

Dec 31, 2014

Lisa A.

I realize a lot of light skin people get darker foundations and a lot of darker skinned people use lighter foundations, I never understood it, dark skin people always say let me use a little high light, but it turns out the high light is 5 times lighter then there face, and it's all over there face. I guess to each is own but I just don't fully understand

Dec 31, 2014

Ariana G.

There's nothing wrong with people who want to look a little tanner and glowier, its a beautiful look.

Dec 31, 2014

Shelley W.

@Lisa...omg yes!! I don't get that. But on a serious note a lot of it is culturally based. Here in the States tanned skin represents wealth while in some other countries its the opposite.

Dec 31, 2014

Emily W.

I've got what you call a graveyard tan (meaning I'm pasty white). I don't tan naturally, I burn and then heal back to vampire again. I call my complexion "Casper" if someone asks. ;)

However, because I'm so white and burn so easily, I've had skin cancer four times now. Even wearing high spf, I burn. After my experiences with skin cancers and all of the anxiety and invasive tests even after you've been treated, I can't imagine why anyone would tan intentionally.

I think the desire to change one's skin tone is a complex issue, rooted in larger cultural mores that present one tone as more beautiful and a different one as inferior. In the West, tan is a sign of health and vigor (I guess because pale people must be ill?) and is fashionable, but going too dark is considered negative. This is in part due to damaging racial ideals from history that put dark skin as inferior.

In the East, fair skin is desirable, because a long history of colonization left lasting impressions about who is beautiful or worthy. Those same race ideals were implanted by Western colonizers, who favored those with paler complexions when dealing with locals.

Most people nowadays aren't outright racist, but these ideas about skin tone are the direct result of centuries of racial discrimination. I'd wager that most people don't consciously participate in reinforcing those ideals, but any attempt to alter one's skin for fashion is a result of this history.

Dec 31, 2014

Maggie F.

I think the tan obsession has improved big time from like 10-15 years ago (like the period when Paris Hilton and all the celebrities were orange lol). I used tanning beds a lot then and now I'm terrified I will get skin cancer. Do I love being super pale? No, but it's not worth the risk to me to be super tan. And sunless tanners and spray tans are just too much work. I've noticed most celebrities aren't doing a really tan look anymore so I think being tan is starting to lose some of the allure. I'm in New England though and it might be different in warmer parts of the country.

Dec 31, 2014

Shelley W.

@Emily...yep...I agree. @Maggie...our gym took out the tanning salon a few months ago. The owner said it started losing money because people weren't coming in like they once were 5 years ago. Bottle tans are the in thing.

Dec 31, 2014

Kat H.

You can thank those idiots from the "Jersey Shore" show for re-popularizing tans. Also, with the acceptance now that too much direct sun is bad for your skin, folks turn to self-tanning lotions to get the safe effect.

Dec 31, 2014

Angela J.

I hope you're right Sarah N! The day when being very pale with a little junk in the trunk becomes societies picture of beauty I will be on the cover of Cosmo LMAO!!