Do you think having a tan is attractive?

[AprilBaby]

No one looks worse than Victoria Beckham! She looks ORANGE all the time. I am a strawberry blonde with light blue eyes so sun is a no no. That said, I do look better with a light tan.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I think being sun-kissed is beautiful. I love a healthy glow. I know I personally look better with some sun.

 

[wolftress]

Wow, it''s interesting to read the different perspectives on this.

I am asian, and deathly pale. I always have to go for the lightest or second lightest foundation shade. When I lived in Singapore, the first thing people complimented me on was my fair skin, and I felt it made me stand out there where most people were tanned. Then I moved to Australia where a tan and blonde hair were considered the epitome of beauty, so last summer I tried using fake tan (the gradual tanning moisturiser stuff) and didn''t like it at all. I felt it didn''t suit my features and made me look ordinary.

So now I''m back to being ghosty pale and I don''t care if anyone else likes it

For the most part, I have always admired a natural tan on other people... I love that sun kissed look. It looks so healthy... but just not on me!

 

[T L]

I personally consider beautiful and attractive skin to be skin that is blemish free, small pores, and soft and smooth (like a baby bottom). Color of the skin has nothing to do with the quality and overall health of the skin. Your skin can glow no matter what the shade, and this is true because all children have beautiful soft glowy skin. I think the most important thing, especially for naturally fair people, is to protect the skin from sun damage, after all that''s what tanning is (sun damage). Some people with darker skin tones are not as affected by the ultra violet rays of the sun, but even they should take precautions, especially in light of the fact that ozone layer is not as strong as it used to be. Don''t also forget that eyes are also damaged by the rays of the sun, and it''s good to wear sunglasses and SPF with both UVA/UVB protection.

 

[hlmr]

To answer your question.....on a lot of people, yes, I think a little tan looks nice. On others, no, they look better without one.

For my skin tone, a tan is usually complimentary.

 

[MishB]

No, I don''t. I immediately think ''sun damage''. The same with freckles. My objection is two-fold, for health reasons and also because it is THE major cause of skin aging, you can''t argue with that.

Vit D is a separate issue altogether, you don''t have to expose your skin enough to change it''s colour.

 

[kenny]

I''m really surprised at the wide variety of opinions.

I thought it would be about 90% in favor of tanning, health concerns notwithstanding.

 

[swingirl]

No tanning here.

Sun-kissed just means a little damage vs. a full-blown tan. It''s all from the same sun and the same UV rays. We''ve just convinced ourselves that the natural skin tone needs changing.

I wonder 30 years from now what the fall-out will be from tanning beds.

 

[AdiS]

I''m usually so pale that I look like a vampire, veins showing and all. I don''t really mind it, I''m used to it but I love myself with a little bit of colour, just that tiny sun kiss that immediately makes me look healthier.

I avoid exposing myself to sun all year long and wear sunscreen all the time. I allow myself just one week during the summer, when I expose myself to the sun for an hour or two a day (again, only with sunscreen!) I kinda agree with Mara on this one - the two extremes are both wrong. Rejecting the sun entirely can be just as bad as lying on the beach without sun block for hours, IMHO.

 

[bee*]

Date: 9/22/2009 2:50:06 PM
Author: Bia
If it''s a naturally sunkissed tan, then yes. If it''s a fakey-bake tan from a tanning salon that makes you look like brown leather, then no.

I agree. I''m in Ireland and we hardly ever get the sun, so most people are pale. There''s quite a few tanning shops here.

 

[softly softly]

Date: 9/22/2009 6:52:12 PM
Author: 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!

Ara Ann you definitely should write that book because you are right, people without red hair just don''t get it. My daughter has red hair and I am very vigilant about making sure she has a hat and sunscreen on when she goes outside. However, at 3 she already has the beginnings of a light smattering of freckles across her nose

.

As far as the attractiveness of pale skin versus tanned skin, I''ve got pale to pale pink skin (think Irish completion) that is completely ill suited to any climate here in Australia and I have had to learn to accept it for what it is. While I agree that some sun exposure is important for overall health, I actually don''t think tanned skin necessarily looks healthier than pale skin.

The sun in Australia is absolutely vicious, particularly in summer. So much so that there are many days I just don''t feel comfortable exposing myself or my kids to it unless it is early in the morning. My British sister-in-law can''t understand why we are so obsessed with sunscreen and covering up, whereas we can''t understand why she is so obsessed with sitting out in the full, blazing sun every chance she gets

.

 

[gemgirl]

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?

The reason I say that is because my Dad had (God rest his beautiful soul) and I have a faint yellow to our skin and were always some degree of tan in summer without even trying. My mom on the other hand, has pale porcelain white skin, so pale that you can see her veins through her skin. I always thought that was awful (and scary) looking. She''s as white as a dinner plate. I definitely do think people look healthier with a little bit of color. I used to ask her to pinch her cheeks every now and then to help her look like she was alive. As a bonus (for me) I don''t wear any make-up at all during the summer except for moisturizer and some under eye cream. My skin gets a rest from laying on my winter combo of moisturizers and then foundation. Not my favorite thing because I feel like I''m wearing spackle during the winter months.

Truth be told? I made it a point to be outside this summer for the benefit of natural vitamin D. I''ve had osteoporosis for seven or eight years and have tried every medication on the market, from swallowing pills- every day, every week, every month, to injecting myself in my thigh with Forteo every couple of days

, to quarterly IVs of Boniva. They all came with hideous side effects and they''ve all stripped my gastro-intestinal tract of it''s protective lining and I now have permanent damage to my gut. So I''m taking 2,000 mgs of vitamin D a day (my blood work proved my D level to be much too low) and I stayed outside with my dogs for twenty minutes a day three or four days as week, as per Dr. Christiane Northrup''s advice (The Wisdom of Menopause) because according to doctors, there''s nothing like natural vitamin D.

 

[AdiS]

Date: 9/23/2009 8:51:40 AM
Author: gemgirl

The reason I say that is because my Dad had (God rest his beautiful soul) and I have a faint yellow to our skin and were always some degree of tan in summer without even trying. My mom on the other hand, has pale porcelain white skin, so pale that you can see her veins through her skin. I always thought that was awful (and scary) looking. She''s as white as a dinner plate. I definitely do think people look healthier with a little bit of color. I used to ask her to pinch her cheeks every now and then to help her look like she was alive. As a bonus (for me) I don''t wear any make-up at all during the summer except for moisturizer and some under eye cream. My skin gets a rest from laying on my winter combo of moisturizers and then foundation. Not my favorite thing because I feel like I''m wearing spackle during the winter months.

Truth be told? I made it a point to be outside this summer for the benefit of natural vitamin D. I''ve had osteoporosis for seven or eight years and have tried every medication on the market, from swallowing pills- every day, every week, every month, to injecting myself in my thigh with Forteo every couple of days

, to quarterly IVs of Boniva. They all came with hideous side effects and they''ve all stripped my gastro-intestinal tract of it''s protective lining and I now have permanent damage to my gut. So I''m taking 2,000 mgs of vitamin D a day (my blood work proved my D level to be much too low) and I stayed outside with my dogs for twenty minutes a day three or four days as week, as per Dr. Christiane Northrup''s advice (The Wisdom of Menopause) because according to doctors, there''s nothing like natural vitamin D.

Oh tell me about it. sigh... Thank God for blushes and Chanel in particular!

I agree, gemgirl, I''m strongly convinced a little bit of colour can make wonders for your appearance and a little bit of sunlight makes wonders for your body and soul. And it''s not neccessary to be damaging and bad for the health, after all. Otherwise, what do we have left - a life out of the sun for all eternity?!

 

[misskitty]

Count me in as another fan of a healthy, natural glow. I don''t have the patience to bake in a tanning bed or poolside, but I like the tan I get when I''m out running or whatever. I also have olive skin, and I tend to look ill when I''m out of the sun for long periods.

I also find a (light) sunburn on the cheeks (where blush would go, so basically a natural blush caused by the sun) to be attractive. Not lobster burn, but just a little flush of pink from being outside.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/22/2009 9:40:57 PM
Author: AprilBaby
No one looks worse than Victoria Beckham! She looks ORANGE all the time. I am a strawberry blonde with light blue eyes so sun is a no no. That said, I do look better with a light tan.

I have a pic of christina aguillera (sp? I have no idea how to spell her name) that is the worst - I''ll post it, it''s on another computer.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/23/2009 4:17:03 AM
Author: bee*

Date: 9/22/2009 2:50:06 PM

Author: Bia

If it''s a naturally sunkissed tan, then yes. If it''s a fakey-bake tan from a tanning salon that makes you look like brown leather, then no.

I agree. I''m in Ireland and we hardly ever get the sun, so most people are pale. There''s quite a few tanning shops here.

Really? I never saw even one! lol I did see a (very) few girls with ridiculous tans so I knew they must be somewhere... I lived in Straffan though and the kids were in school in Maynooth... maybe they''re less ''modern'' there? And by modern I mean that I''d assume the tanning salon is a relatively new thing there.

 

[Erin]

Isn''t anyone else''s skin in better condition in the summer (ie exposed to the sun) besides me? I don''t mean taut or anything like that, I mean blemish free and evenly toned and naturally moisturized...

 

[Mara]

Starset... yes my skin is much better condition in the summer. It is more evenly colored and I don't need to slather on the lotion as much as in the winter. It is easier to care for, definitely...and I don't need to wear hardly any makeup whereas in winter I feel like I need the color. I don't actually get a lot of sun in general...but we do some tropical vacations and I am def not going to be hiding under a huge hat and linen clothes the whole time, what is the point??? Everything in moderation.

I also tend to think that if we don't die from one form of cancer, another one will probably get us... morbid but I don't see being worried about just one thing. There is so much out there that will get us anyway. Might as well enjoy myself with a little tropical lovin'.

Oh and gemgirl, good to know I am not the only one who is not a fan of veins. I don't even like my own veins, and I have a fair amt visible under my skin and I am olive. Now that I am preggo my veins seem more prominent and I am totally weirded out by it.

Kenny, I don't know anyone who just goes out and bakes themselves with absolutely no protection all the time. And I haven't for years....even younger kids seem to wear some SPF. I also don't think that just because people like sun or have gotten sun in their lifetime they will look old and haggard. My Mom is 58 and she looks amazing, easily 15 years younger and she has spent a fair amt of her life in the sun, first unprotected many years ago and now for about 20 years, protected.

 

[allycat0303]

I am deathly afraid of the sun. Sun-damage, melanoma. I don''t go out in the heavy sun. EVER. I actually never gave a thought to whether or not I look better with, or without a tan, because I am terrified of skin cancer, so that trumps all for me.

We have a lot of people with the fake leather look. It''s Canada though, so hard to escape this in the winter months. I especially hate aggressive tans where teeth look florescent white in comparision.

 

[janinegirly]

ha ally, the "aggressive tan". One summer when I did a share (at the beach), there was this girl who was the sweetest thing, but ridiculously dark tan, frosted blonde hair, peach flourescent bikin and light colored eyes and super white teeth, and it was just blinding and annoying! I know she ''did" all that stuff to herself in order to acheive what she thought was attractive, but sooooo had the opposite effect...couldn''t even see her!

 

[Cehrabehra]

BTW when we went to italy I hid under a huge hat and white cotton coverup - and didn''t get any sun at all and was quite proud of that lol!

Okay sorry it''s late but here''s that pic I told you about... note the color of her scalp and the transition line... it''s just wrong!!!

 

[T L]

She''s orange!

 

[Cehrabehra]

notice in her ears? ewww lol - I bet her natural fair color is prettier.

 

[junebug17]

I was one of those posters who said she looked healthier with a little bit of color, and yes, when I typed it I realized the irony of my words. But I''m not talking about baking in the sun for hours and turning dark brown, I''m talking a slight amount of color that I get wearing 30 sunscreen and being outdoors for 30 minutes. Most people wouldn''t even think I have a tan, I just look a shade lighter than my pasty natural skin tone. We have a place at the beach in SC, and I''m not going to let fear prevent me from enjoying my favorite place in the world. I limit my time in the sun, slather on sunscreen, and wear big hats. And I too have read that there are health benefits to getting a little sun from time to time. To be honest, I agree with Mara, if one thing doesn''t get us, another will. I''m not going to let fear keep me from doing the things I love.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I am SUPER pale (some makeup brands don''t even make foundation or concealer fair enough for my skin), and I used to hate it, but now I embrace it. I often think that people look better with a bit of color, but for me personally, it really isn''t worth the risk, especially because I got so much sun as a kid when I was on the swim team, etc...

Now I embrace my pale skin (and I almost always wear makeup to enhance my color but I''m OK with that because I actually really like makeup). Ironically, I get compliments on my skin frequently, so I guess there are plenty of people out there who like pale skin

I do agree with those who say to embrace your natural color, but I think that involves all of us being a bit less judgmental about people''s natural color - the same way I think that women with naturally olive or Southeast Asian or African-American skin can all have stunning skin and be gorgeous, I think its a bit misguided to categorize all very pale skin as being inherently less attractive.

 

[musey]

I am of mostly scottish descent, and I got alllllll the pale skin genes from that line.

I hated it when I was younger. Got made fun of ALL THE TIME ("the reflection off your skin is blinding me!" & "you look like a corpse!" seriously?

). I tried to get a tan so many times when I was younger, and it never worked... never took. I''d burn, then go back to white, sometimes with a holdover pink tinge. Guess that was my skin''s version of "tan."

7 years of living in the southwest US has made my skin much more ''sun-kissed'' than it ever was when I was in high school... ironic, since now I slather on the sunscreen wishing I could get my porcelain skin back. Dunno if it''s possible, I got a BAD burn 6 years ago that I still have lines from

I find all skin tones beautiful, but I tend to dislike the look of those who obviously do not protect their skin at all, or go to great lengths to get as dark as they can.

 

[musey]

Date: 9/23/2009 12:51:12 PM
Author: Mara
Oh and gemgirl, good to know I am not the only one who is not a fan of veins. I don''t even like my own veins, and I have a fair amt visible under my skin and I am olive. Now that I am preggo my veins seem more prominent and I am totally weirded out by it.

I doubt anyone is really a fan of veins.

 

[KimberlyH]

Living in Southern Californiacolored my perspective of tanning, as a kid. As a teenager I spent hours every day during the summer getting as dark as I could.

Now, I spend time outside, and wear sunscreen, but I don''t lay out (unless we''re vacationing in Hawaii or something). My skin gains color simply from spending time outside being active. I definitely lean towards being pale and it doesn''t bother me, it''s just the skin I''m in. I think a person can be attractive both tan, or not. I''ve never been a fan of fake tanning; my mom is very pale and uses a cream that looks great on her, but the results of a tanning bed have never been attractive in my mind.

 

[junebug17]

Date: 9/23/2009 9:25:24 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
I am SUPER pale (some makeup brands don''t even make foundation or concealer fair enough for my skin), and I used to hate it, but now I embrace it. I often think that people look better with a bit of color, but for me personally, it really isn''t worth the risk, especially because I got so much sun as a kid when I was on the swim team, etc...

Now I embrace my pale skin (and I almost always wear makeup to enhance my color but I''m OK with that because I actually really like makeup). Ironically, I get compliments on my skin frequently, so I guess there are plenty of people out there who like pale skin

I do agree with those who say to embrace your natural color, but I think that involves all of us being a bit less judgmental about people''s natural color - the same way I think that women with naturally olive or Southeast Asian or African-American skin can all have stunning skin and be gorgeous, I think its a bit misguided to categorize all very pale skin as being inherently less attractive.

Yikes, I didn''t mean to imply that I think people with pale skin aren''t attractive!! I apologize if I sounded like that. A good friend of mine has the most gorgeous porcelian (sp?) skin, she is very fair and her coloring is lovely...in fact, I think a touch of color doesn''t look good on her! I don''t know, my own skin color is just kind of pasty looking...but I''ve been using Cover Girl smoothers lately, it''s a tinted moisturizer, and it gives that slight sun-kissed look. I didn''t mean to diss people with fair skin!

 

[Mara]

Date: 9/23/2009 9:42:41 PM
Author: musey

Date: 9/23/2009 12:51:12 PM
Author: Mara
Oh and gemgirl, good to know I am not the only one who is not a fan of veins. I don't even like my own veins, and I have a fair amt visible under my skin and I am olive. Now that I am preggo my veins seem more prominent and I am totally weirded out by it.

I doubt anyone is really a fan of veins.

you'd be surprised. my friend who loves pale girls says he actually like seeing the veins visible.

we had a hilarious convo about it. like i said, whatever floats people's boats. that is why everyone looks different, wouldn't it be BORING if everyone looked the same??

funnily enough even though i do appreciate color, my husband is a whitey...i have always mostly dated caucasians. yep, i think he looks better with a tan...it brings out the lighter color of his eyes...and he agrees! hahaha.