Sun Safety Week and Society's Obsession With Being Tan
It seems that most women and men feel the need to be tan in order to fit into society's definition of attractive. Of course, there are obvious detrimental effects of catching too many sun rays.
National Sun Safety Week, which takes place from June 1 to 7, according to http://www.sunsafetyalliance.org/, is a great way to get more information about the dangers of the sun.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has its own Web page dedicated to providing information on how to "protect your skin from the sun": http://www.healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTopic.aspx?topicID=44.
Here are tips on how to prevent skin cancer from the U.S. Dep't of Health and Human Services:
- The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun.
- Stay out of the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
- Cover up with long sleeves and a hat.
- Check your skin regularly. This is called a skin self-exam.
Despite all the information and awareness, as a college student, I see so many men and women with fake tans, real tans and sunburns. I'm sure they know what they're doing - they just don't want to be labeled as "too white," which seems to be considered unattractive.
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"Go Granny" indeed! It's great to hear how her prevention and protection from the sun paid off with healthy skin and a long life.
thanks for sharing!
As an American born to two immigrant Indian parents, I can only smile bitterly when I read about concepts like this. It must be rather nice to be able to tan at your leisure, knowing that your choice of skin color won't attract the attention of Homeland Security. Oh, also, it might be a tad bit inconvenient for you at some point down the
You just wrote this to feel better about being pale. Go outside.
I love the outdoors. I just go out protected from the sun. You might consider a trip outside your own mind-like maybe Australia where there is a huge hole in the ozone. Ask the country with the highest skin cancer rate in the world how they feel about sun protection.
I think the author needs some sun...