Do you think having a tan is attractive?

[princesss]

Date: 9/22/2009 3:56:57 PM
Author: IloveAsschers13

Date: 9/22/2009 3:50:49 PM
Author: vespergirl
Yes, I think a tan looks good. My family is from Europe, where everyone tans, and people don''t use sunscreen like in the US. No one in my family has ever had skin cancer - maybe it''s our Mediterranean coloring.


I only like natural outdoor tanning, though - I used a tanning bed before my wedding and didn''t enjoy it. I am tan in warm weather, and let my skin get naturally paler in cold weather, but I usually keep at least a little tan year round because of my skin tone.


I think that I look thinner and healthier with a tan, and need less makeup.

This isn''t exactly true. I think it totally depends on where- I was just going to say when I was in the Netherlands, NO ONE was tan- I didn''t see one tanning salon. Same with a city I went to in Germany. I embraced my paleness then... It was awesome. I think tan looks pretty, but I wish pale looked prettier since I don''t ever fake bake!!

My parents are living there now, and they say everybody goes to the tanning salons during the looooong winters so they get some UV exposure. Seasonal affective disorder (even just in mild forms) is pretty rampant, so people go in for their 15 minutes per week to fight it. So I guess it''s tanning with a purpose, lol.

 

[Burberrygirl]

Date: 9/22/2009 4:06:06 PM
Author: radiantquest
I prefer to have color, not really a tan. I am naturally pale, like see through pale. I also have psoriasis. I went to the dermatologist and tried everything short of light therapy and shots. The light therapy is costly and I have to travel over an hour to do it. The shots are just out of the question. So I go to the tanning bed about twice a week for about 15 minutes and it keeps my psoriasis under control and it only costs $20 a month. I stopped going for 2 weeks and the itching and scaling came back so I was right back on it.


It kills two birds with one stone. I get a smidge of color and it keeps the itchy-scratchys away. I moisturize like crazy though. I talked to the dermatologist about it. They said that of course they would never tell someone to go to tanning beds, but in my case they understand and they said the best thing that I can do is keep my skin moist. I use gold bond ultimate lotion, cover my face and use a really good lotion to try do best for my skin as I can.

One of my good friends has psoriasis and she does the same. She has an olive complexion and tans easily. Her tan never looks fake, she's very athletic and looks great tan. Even when we were ten she'd get amazingly tan after putting on tons of sun block.

 

[VegasAngel]

Sure, I like natural tans.

I have fair skin, but not nice fair skin like Nicole Kidman or maybe Anne Hathaway- Oh well. I had Melanoma at a young age so as much as I would like a nice glow it''s not worth possibly losing my life over, leaving my daughter without a mother.

 

[oddoneout]

I worry about anyone with a tan because the health problems are in the back of my mind. I'd say a hint of a tan (not too much sun exposure or fake tan) is nice. Fake tans just look gross and well fake and the leathery skin is gross as well. I worry a lot about the poor pale people (like me) attempting to tan.....just slather on the sunscreen and stay out of the sun!

 

[TooPatient]

Hate the fake ones.

Like the gentle sun ones. I''m pretty pale and burn easily so I''m always covered in sunscreen and carry extra cover-ups with me. Don''t like beaches anyway. (hate the sand)

I''d like to find a way to darken my skin a bit without it looking fake and without causing damage to my skin.
B has a browner skin color than I do so he never looks pale and tans with very little exposure to the sun.


I don''t really care much what a person''s skin looks like. Attractive would include the general health.

 

[packrat]

I''m pale and liked it better when I tanned. I laid out in the backyard and would also go to the salon. My skin was clearer and it was easier to get foundation to match my skin. It was so relaxing and I just enjoyed it. I liked being tan year round. But, my Gramma has had some skin cancer removed on a few occasions and her brother lost his nose to it. I''ve not tanned in almost 7 years. I''ve done some spray tans. I don''t know what I''d do if we ever went on a vacation somewhere sunny and warm. (heck, I don''t know what I''d do if we ever went on vacation, period) People tell me it''s no big deal to just get a tan before you go--but I''m so pale it takes me weeks to get tan, and the damage is cumulative. I don''t want it showing up 15 years from now and then I''m kicking myself in the behind.

 

[kenny]

That's the problem.
Decades can pass between the sun exposure and the skin cancer or the leathery lizard look.
If it was the next morning we'd all be walking ghosts.

When I was a boy in the 50s and 60s we were in the sun a lot.
I got lots of sunburns.
I worry about my future.

 

[packrat]

And that''s what drives me batty, trying to get others to understand. I tanned for years-sometimes 6 days a week. I''ve been outside my whole life practically, and I can''t begin to count the times I was burnt so bad as a kid that I couldn''t move. Not to the point of blistering ever, but ohhhh so painful! I''ve already done enough damage to my skin w/out adding to it every summer. I''m a freak about slathering the kids w/sunscreen too. I''m glad they''ve come out w/spray on SPF and also kinds that don''t make them look like they''ve had white paint dumped on them.

 

[kama_s]

I have a perpetual tan

....and I LOVE it!

 

[Bia]

Date: 9/22/2009 5:16:19 PM
Author: kama_s
I have a perpetual tan

....and I LOVE it!

lucky

I have a great tan in the summer. Winter, I''m very white. I, personally, think I look better sunkissed.

 

[LitigatorChick]

I don''t tan - my pale white skin is covered in sun screen. I would rather avoid skin cancer.

Your comment about the Phillipines made me laugh Kenny - my Filipino nannies were always so excited about how "white" my son is. He is a typical blond blue eyed boy, and they were so captivated by it. I thought it was always so funny how they valued the "whiteness" and North Americans valued the tan.

 

[HollyS]

The Oopma Loompa fake bake is surely the silliest of all ''tans''. And it speaks volumes about vanity, class, and brains.

A real ''glow'' is attractive. A light tan is not a good thing, health-wise, but it does look nice.

Being the color of oak/walnut furniture is simply wrong. People should not look like furniture, leather, Shar Pei pups, or burn victims. At least, not on purpose.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I think they're attractive but absolutely not worth it. I'm Scandinavian and as white as can be and if people can't handle white legs then *they* have a problem, not me. My husband is hispanic and I was hoping for some color in my kids but they're all pretty white too but get a little color in the summer.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/22/2009 3:56:57 PM
Author: IloveAsschers13

Date: 9/22/2009 3:50:49 PM

Author: vespergirl

Yes, I think a tan looks good. My family is from Europe, where everyone tans, and people don''t use sunscreen like in the US. No one in my family has ever had skin cancer - maybe it''s our Mediterranean coloring.



I only like natural outdoor tanning, though - I used a tanning bed before my wedding and didn''t enjoy it. I am tan in warm weather, and let my skin get naturally paler in cold weather, but I usually keep at least a little tan year round because of my skin tone.



I think that I look thinner and healthier with a tan, and need less makeup.

This isn''t exactly true. I think it totally depends on where- I was just going to say when I was in the Netherlands, NO ONE was tan- I didn''t see one tanning salon. Same with a city I went to in Germany. I embraced my paleness then... It was awesome. I think tan looks pretty, but I wish pale looked prettier since I don''t ever fake bake!!

Yeah pale was the norm in Ireland - a few girls tanned and they looked funny. It didn''t fit there. As a whole the USA is way more superficial about things like hair dye, tanning salons, fake nails, and bleached teeth. It was really nice living in Europe and being away from all of that here.

 

[Lilac]

I think tans are attractive, but not the sun-BAKED really fake orange-y look.

I love when I have a tan but I''ve learned I need to put sunscreen on all the time when I know I''ll be in the sun or else I''ll get totally burned and red. When I have that sunkissed "glow" I find myself feeling much better about myself

In the winter I''m pale and I hate it

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/22/2009 3:14:47 PM
Author: kiett98
I hope so, as I have a natural all-over tan... I am black. I have a white friend at work (it feels odd distinguishing someone''s race, but I guess in this instance it is fine) who occassionally goes to the tanning bed and I always ask her if she wants to end up with leathery looking skin like some of the older ladies we work with who obviously still continue to tan. That usually stops her from going.

lol! I think more than anything people just need to be comfortable with the skin they''re in and not try to manipulate it - you know? I admit I''m jealous of people with color... but nothing is going to change it for me. I remember when I was 15 laying out all day every day over the summer and getting the darkest I''ve ever been... and still being lighter than almost everyone and I had to rub down with baby oil and keep a spray bottle nearby... I worked my ass off for that tan and would lay out all day and not get *any* tanner (I experimented) and relative to everyone else my shade was lighter - but still that way too intense over-sunned look... so oversunned and still light. Yuck!!!!! I stopped tanning about 18 years ago and I felt self conscious about white legs for a while but it''s long gone... people who are offended by super white skin can suck it up lol

 

[gemgirl]

I''ve always thought I looked better tan. I''m a yellow/orange (make-up color typing wise) so I tan pretty easily.
As long as I avoid getting any degree of sunburn in the beginning of the summer, I just get tan naturally from being ourside gardening, playing with our dogs, occasionally fishing with my husband. This summer, I didn''t get burned at all, and yet I had a heck of a tan by the end of summer. My Dad was the same way. I think people look healthier with a little bit of color.

 

[Tuckins1]

Date: 9/22/2009 2:49:53 PM
Author: Mara
yep i do...i am not a fan of very pale skin....veins creep me out, mine too. but i am olive anyway so i tend to think color is attractive since that is what i look at in the mirror.


also when i am not ''tan'', my skin is more yellow than anything else, really not appealing. IMO you can get some sun, and do it in a smart way rather than avoiding sun completely. one extreme or the other is not appealing. but some people hate the sun too.


one of my friends who has olive skin from his dad has a french mom who was very pale and he told me he really only finds very pale skin attractive since his mom is pale. his wife is very pale with red hair. hehee.

Well, I am pretty pale and have lots of freckles. I also stay out of the sun because I care more about not getting skin cancer than looking tan... I think I look beautiful and so does my husband. Super tan people creep ME out.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/22/2009 6:17:44 PM
Author: gemgirl
I''ve always thought I looked better tan. I''m a yellow/orange (make-up color typing wise) so I tan pretty easily.

As long as I avoid getting any degree of sunburn in the beginning of the summer, I just get tan naturally from being ourside gardening, playing with our dogs, occasionally fishing with my husband. This summer, I didn''t get burned at all, and yet I had a heck of a tan by the end of summer. My Dad was the same way. I think people look healthier with a little bit of color.

that last line is so ironic, isn''t it?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 9/22/2009 3:41:50 PM
Author: janinegirly

In Asia, the paler the skin the better. Umbrellas to block the sun are an accessory. I always heard this was because peasants had tans from working in the fields so it was looked down on.

I know I''ve made some gross generalizations, so hope I didn''t offend--just trying to make my points quickly!

 

[Mara]

Date: 9/22/2009 6:19:59 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 9/22/2009 6:17:44 PM
Author: gemgirl
I've always thought I looked better tan. I'm a yellow/orange (make-up color typing wise) so I tan pretty easily.

As long as I avoid getting any degree of sunburn in the beginning of the summer, I just get tan naturally from being ourside gardening, playing with our dogs, occasionally fishing with my husband. This summer, I didn't get burned at all, and yet I had a heck of a tan by the end of summer. My Dad was the same way. I think people look healthier with a little bit of color.

that last line is so ironic, isn't it?

actually not really. people tend to think that NO sun is healthy, and in reality that is not necessarily the case. yes, skin cancer has the spotlight, but it doesn't mean that you can't get a bit of sun and do it in a smart way and be healthy as well.

there was a thread in the FHH area about Vit D deficiencies recently. it's becoming very rampant now, esp in small children whose parents keep them entirely out of the sun and slathered on with 80spf sunscreen.

people say 'oh milk has Vit D' but it's not enough to keep you from becoming deficient. my coworker had a deficiency and she takes regular vitamins. it's not enough D for what you need. doctors are starting to speak up and say that you shouldn't avoid the sun entirely but get it in small doses. they say 30 minutes 2-3x a week and it HAS to be from 11-1pm when the sun is strongest. docs are saying this especially for kids...whose bones are still growing and strengthening. they are saying that a lot of kids have horribly unhealthy 'see through' bones from not enough Vit D.

definitely goes against the last 10-15 years where everything says sun is sooo unhealthy.

i personally think the two 'extremes' are unappealing....too much sun, and no sun at all. there is a happy medium. being olive toned if i wear spf 30, i still get color.

tuckins... fab that you love your skin and your hub does too. that is really all that matters...what people find beautiful for themselves. whatever floats their boat.

 

[zoebartlett]

I think it depends on how dark the tan is. I know someone who gets very, very dark when she tans, and it doesn''t look right. I don''t know if that makes sense. Overall, sure, I think that having a tan can be attractive, but so can having paler skin.

 

[Ara Ann]

Being a natural red-head (light red) staying out of the sun is something I have always done...I have porcelain tone skin (like Nicole Kidman) and I freckle if I get too much sun and I hate freckles! I wear large sun hats when we go out for the day...and SPF makeup and lotion as well. At almost 42, my skin is nicer than my 30 year old niece who loves being out in the sun and tanning, she has crows feet, not me! And red-heads don''t look good with a tan anyway! if you see a red head with a tan, it''s either dyed hair or a fake tan, LOL!

And another major pet peeve is when I see clueless parents of red headed children, sans hats or in sleeveless shirts, BAKING in the sun! People don''t realize, red headed people have entirely different skin pigmentation than ''normal'' people have...the UV rays penetrate far deeper into our skin than others, even more so than in other very pale or light complected people. I want to write a book someday for parents who don''t have red hair, but have children who do!!

And I agree with everyone who said fake, or natural dark tans are just unsightly and leathery skin is ugly.

Guess I''d fit right in living in Europe!

 

[E B]

I'm pale and proud of it! I briefly tanned in high school (because it was 'cool' then), but didn't see enough of a positive change in my appearance to warrant the time or risk.

My father had melanoma from many years of skipping sunscreen, and if you can believe it, he still goes out unprotected.

No thank you- hand me the SPF 90, please!

ETA: Err, to answer the original question: It depends on the shade. If it looks natural, it can be attractive. If it's obvious the person regularly 'tans'? Usually not.

 

[honey22]

NO WAY! I work in cancer research and I can''t believe these silly woman who bake themselves in the sun, or worse, ignore common sense and lay down in a sunbed ''cos it''s safer'', what planet are you on?!?!

Tan skinned - damaged skin. Is that colour worth your life?

 

[beaujolais]

Tans are gross. They make you look old besides all the damage.

 

[ursulawrite]

I have quite deep olive skin (Italian background, but I pass for Lebanese, Brazilian, and pretty much everything in between). I don''t sunbathe, but I do walk my dog, bike etc. and even when wearing SPF 70 (as I do every day, come rain or shine, with frequent reapplications) it''s inevitable that my skin turns brown.

I''m 33 and have a couple of very faint fine lines under my eyes, but that''s it, so hopefully my Neopolitan background will come in useful in the long run.

 

[cindygenit]

No.

I tan easily and i avoid the sun like a plague! I do go to the beach to swim but always wear sunscreen to protect myself.

Its winter here in Aus now, and I am white as a sheet

I am Asian though, so the whiter/paler the better. At least my mum thinks so.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Love the sun. I am very careful., cover up, use best sunscreens.... Tans, like everything else are decent in moderation.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Lynn B]

I am very fair-skinned and honestly, I think it''s pretty and feminine. (Although before I knew better, I did spend a fair amount of time trying to get tanned and brown, and I was never very successful. Mostly just burned and peeled.

)

I personally think tanning beds and are terrible for people and should be outlawed! Our local CURVES put two tanning beds in their facility, and I think that goes completely contradictory to a "healthy lifestyle". I guess it brings in nice revenue, though.