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Sun Safety Week and Society's Obsession With Being Tan

By HERWriter
 
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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.

People need to be happy with their natural skin color and take care of their skin, not let it burn. Otherwise they might have a higher chance for skin cancer.

Add a Comment29 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Here in Asia the opposite is true. I live in Taiwan and the lengths the Taiwanese go to to keep the sun off is ridiculous sometimes. Like the Japanese, they happen to believe pale is beautiful.

As for myself I like having a tan. Originally I'm from the UK and we see very little of the sun there. Being able to go outside and swim and read beneath it is a luxury for me. Not to mention the benefits of vitamin D.

Yes, too much sun is dangerous and should be avoided. So is too little. As with most things in life - coffee, alcohol, foods full of starch etc - balance and moderation are key.

June 16, 2009 - 10:00am

I'm already tanned so no need to lie out on the sun here. I live in Miami and we've been having heatwaves lately...it's EXCRUTIATING. I can't imagine laying out in the sun right now without the fear of the suns rays seeping into my skin but it's not always boiling hot here and some days are so beautiful you can't help but WANT to spend the day out. I have a lot of friends who are fair skinned and love the sun. I have absolutely no problem with people who enjoy spending a day in the sun-- as long as they are using sunscreen why prevent them from enjoying themselves? I think to each its own. If you choose to go out in the sun with no protection then so be it. I think the majority of people are already well aware of the consequences and choose to do it anyway.
Society has a lot to do with it too...but to be honest, I had a tough time growing up because I was usually the most tanned girl in class. I learned to embrace my skin color and now, I would not change it for the world.

June 15, 2009 - 5:57am

The notion that tanned is beautiful comes from at least the 1920's Hollywood era, later reinforced during the 1950s-1960s beach tanned movie star era. Hollywood also helped promote the notion that tanned meant healthy, as an outdoorsy lifestyle is seen as healthier than a sedentary indoor lifestyle.

My grandfather had lupus and skin cancer. I have lupus, as well. Lupus flares are triggered by exposure to the sun. My grandfather aspired to be a professional tennis player (and he definitely had the talent and played with the pros of his day), but had to give that up and played tennis at night. I spent most of my life on the beach, not knowing what lurked in my genetic heritage. Although I have been living with lupus since diagnosed in 1990, I'm a marathoner exposed to the sun a lot. But, when I'm out on a run, I wear my heavy-duty sunscreen, including in my lip balm, and wear a cap.

Whether pale or dark-complected, we all need to be aware of the dangers of sun exposure, take what precautions we can and protect our children. At the same time, we need a bit of sun exposure to trigger our natural synthesis of Vitamin D, absorption of calcium, and numerous other natural immunological and neurological functions.

However, there is such a thing as an unhealthy tan. Take George Hamilton, for example, the epitome of overly-tanned, and notice the effects of heavy sun exposure on Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, and even female celebrities who are sporting sun damage in the form of spots and otherwise damaged skin.

Personally, I prefer my "tan in the bottle" from my daily application of self-tanning lotion. It helps diminish the obvious runner's shirt and sock lines, LOL!

June 12, 2009 - 6:58pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

As a fair skinned Arizona native, sun exposure and skin cancer is often on my mind. My dad has had many basel cell and precancerous growths removed from years spent in the Arizonan sun. No thanks. I'd rather stay pale.

June 12, 2009 - 3:53pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Don't try to be beautiful, just be yourself. For people who worry about such things -- what others think of them and what society wants of them -- life goes by in a flash before they realize they've spent none of their own time for themselves. They live as if they've all the time in the world, letting everyone take as much of it from them as they want, and only really begin to live for themselves in their retirement, when they are too old to enjoy life as they could have in youth. They find themselves wishing they could have had more time to live, wishing life were longer than what nature has given to us. What they fail to realize is that the time allotted to us by nature is more than enough. Don't waste your time living for everyone else : live for yourself.
Life is long if you know how to use it.

June 12, 2009 - 7:57am

I am not tanned and have never been thought unattractive....I have always shunned the sun and have never thought that "forcing" a tan when you are meant to be naturally pale was a good idea either aesthetically or for health reasons.
Lying out in the sun is not very wise unless you have slathered sunscreen on and keep reapplying it and have a fair amount of melanin in your skin already.
There are many actresses and models who shun the sun and are still very attractive.
Also, Anon#2, there is a lot more to beauty than a colour! If you have unattractive features, tanning them will not make you more attractive especially adding wrinkles to the mix. I agree though, that people should make up their own minds as long as they are informed of the dangers of sun exposure.

June 11, 2009 - 10:10am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Yes, #2, you're only beautiful if everyone else thinks you are, and then only if you're tan. The writer isn't saying to avoid the sun altogether, just pointing out how to be safe and avoid CANCER, which I'm not sure if you're aware, SUCKS BEYOND THE TELLING OF IT.

June 9, 2009 - 8:15am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

If tanned is considered beautiful in society, then being tanned is beautiful, because your outward beauty is defined by those who look upon you. Said in a another way, if everybody thinks that you have to be tanned to be beautiful, then you do. People then stand with a choice, do they want to be beautiful or not. And if the cost is a theoretical chance of skin-cancer, in a distant future where skin cancer might be fully curable, then who can blame them.
Also, many enyoy being in the sun for various reasons such as sport or outdoor drinking. The fact that they value doing this while they are young over the undefinable possiblity of skincancer is not nessacarily a sign of stupidity, just a different evaluation of benefits than your own.

[edited by Community Moderator for inappropriate language]

June 9, 2009 - 4:42am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I think it's mad how people still want to tan when we all know the dangers. I see girls at my college campus all lying out in bikinis, looking like easy women aswell, as getting all burnt. I don't get it!
I am very pale, of Danish background and think that I am beautiful as I am. People who are naturally brown are beautiful too. What looks bad are these little pale girls, trying to look like bronzed goddesses and just ending up being prematurely aged and having possible melanomas in their 20's and 30's.

June 5, 2009 - 2:09pm
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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