Is Tan is the new Tacky?
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free skin care · Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:50 pm

I read a huffington post article about Tan is the new Tacky
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/verena-von-pfetten/tan-is-the-new-tacky_b_80250.html

Even before I read this I've thought that tanned skin is unattractive. I don't know where people come up with saying it give you a "glow." I think it just looks like your skin is damaged. Also I think it accentuate wrinkles and flaws in your skin.

But that's just my opinion and I know it's a lucrative biz etc. (even though they are all over that tanning in salons is as bad as smoking).

free skin care · Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:39 pm

I hate the look of tanned facial skin, especially on anyone over 25. I also dislike the look of fake tan, a la Posh Beckham. I can see the appeal of a tan on the body, but tanning is off the radar for me, forever.

free skin care · Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:29 pm

I am sure I will be in the minority on this, but I do not like that pale, milk-white look to the body. There is nothing attractive about that to me in the least. I also don't go for the deep bronzed look, but more somewhere in the middle. I do think a light tan gives one a glow.

free skin care · Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:56 pm

I am one of those unusual blonde people who tend to tan easily I do not sunbathe, use tanning beds , etc but if I am in sunlight for brief time periods my body soaks it up. And my BF complements me on my tan look. Yes, men tend to like a tan. My experience anyway. They love tan vs milky white legs, tan glow on the face or across the cheeks....

I don't - I use sunscreen and everyone knows my neurosis about it but that's what I've noticed.

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2009 2:32 pm

I agree with riley...I don't find stark white skin attractive except maybe on the rare person that has that milky, opaque, white skin ideal.

Problem with stark white skin (the non-ideal variety) is that everything shows...bumps, blotches, veins, stubble, etc. When you get chilly your veins turn blue. Laughing

A light tan does a good job of hiding a lot of that.

Unfortunately, I fall into this stark white category, and although I tan easily, I've sworn off the sun. Sucks gettin' old. Wink

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2009 2:59 pm

I'm blond and tan really easily too, I have to cover up or else my arms, face, legs etc. get tan. I've noticed it really looks terrible on your neck too to be tan.

I really don't like the fake tan either. I cannot believe that people will have chemicals sprayed on them.

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:25 pm

This subject is a difficult one for me. Yubs, I completely understand about the stark white skin. I always hated my skin growing up because I was the palest girl in the room and yes if it was chilly, you could see my veins. Well it didn't take me long to figure out that some sun would make me look alot better and it did. Before I started tanning, I would have people ask me if I had been sick (don't ya hate that) but, then all of a sudden they were saying wow, you look good, you've got a glow about you. Though I was tanning I was always afraid of the damage I was doing to my skin and of course petrified of skin cancer. Well, now I'm able to see alot of the damage and am trying to reverse it. But, that means no more tanning and I don't like this idea either. It really stinks. I truly wish they would figure out a way to make fake tans....NOT LOOK FAKE!!! What are we pale girls to do? I'm open for options. Funny thing though, my husband always thought I looked better without a tan. Confused

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:07 pm

It would be interesting to look back into history:

Tan skin meant you were out in the sun toiling all day; pale skin meant that you did not need to toil the soil or herd the beasts or fish the oceans. Tan skin toil; pale skin no toil.

Then came the industrial revolution:

Pale skin meant that you toiled all day in a factory or sweatshop; tanned skin meant that you did not have to work but could engage in leisure activities outside in the sun. Pale skin toil; tan skin recreate.

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:19 pm

milbader wrote:

It would be interesting to look back into history:

Tan skin meant you were out in the sun toiling all day; pale skin meant that you did not need to toil the soil or herd the beasts or fish the oceans. Tan skin toil; pale skin no toil.

Then came the industrial revolution:

Pale skin meant that you toiled all day in a factory or sweatshop; tanned skin meant that you did not have to work but could engage in leisure activities outside in the sun. Pale skin toil; tan skin recreate.

Wasn't is Coco Chanel that started the tanning craze? I think I am remembering that correctly.

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:20 pm

I think that's true - she changed the way tanning was considered - it became acceptable to the higher class.

free skin care · Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:41 am

I grew up in a warm place in front of the beach so basically everyone had a "healty" (so we thought at the time!) tan. But I've never been able to get a tan. I get red, then back to white.

To be honest I always felt bad because I was always the fairest around and it was very embarrassing to go to the beach with my snow white legs.

Nowadays I do feel a little bit better in the sense that I do have better skin that most people around me but... I do wish my skin were darker! It would make my green eyes stand out more and make look less "veiny". The few times I've gotten a slight "spray tan", my husband has raved about it!

free skin care · Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:44 am

Songbird wrote:

Well it didn't take me long to figure out that some sun would make me look alot better and it did. Before I started tanning, I would have people ask me if I had been sick (don't ya hate that) but, then all of a sudden they were saying wow, you look good, you've got a glow about you.

This was my experience too, Songbird; I was way pale from adolescene till age 20, when I discovered tanning beds, and suddenly I (and everyone) loved the way I looked. I had color! I think by age 25-26, fear of skin cancer and general skin damage led me to stop. *But* I've found since that tanning during the late fall and winter helps to alleviate moderate to significant psoriasis, and seasonal depression. The S.A.D. was very well managed and the psoriasis cleared up completely (and has yet to return) when I started tanning for 5 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week.

I too would love to see a fake tan product that wasn't overbearing and/or fake looking, but I don't know if it's on the horizon.

I also agree that on *aged*, mature skin, a tan often looks terrible, but imo on younger skin, a mild to moderate tan looks really nice. Whether I want it or not, I tend to tan more easily now than I used to before my tanning bed days, and I really don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

free skin care · Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:06 pm

oh, I love pale skin! I think it's beautifully attractive. I'm another blonde who tans quickly, and although I wear sunscreen, my gardening and walks has still led me to get a bit of colour this summer. I'm so annoyed, as I LOVE being milky white!! My husband loathes the tan obsessed women we always see, and is often laughing at the orange people. The first time he saw my milky white skin (it was winter), he fell in love - obviously we're married

Now, when I was younger, I loved tans and wanted to be brown all the time. Boy do I regret that.

I think our perceptions are very much shaped by ideas we're not always aware of, particularly regarding beauty. It's true what mildbader said above. I believe that tans ( due to their easy access for everyone in cheap pharmacy preparations) are going to take them right back out of vogue sooner rather than later.

free skin care · Mon Aug 24, 2009 7:10 am

I think the orange tan of bodybuilders is ugly and doesn't make them look any more attractive.
I do think a healthy glow looks natural and can look pretty. Some people look really good with that milky white skin and some do not not.
I grew up on a ranch riding horses and walking for miles. Getting out in the sunshine made me feel alive come spring and summer and I loved the feel of sun upon my face, arms and legs, still do. It is recommended to get that 10-15 minutes of sunlight daily for Vitamin D. When I don't, I feel those blahs.
I think you have to find that line for yourself of what you feel is attractive. It's just like any other vice like smoking, etc., it is your choice in the end and your body.

free skin care · Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:27 am

I think it depends on where you live and your lifestyle. I live in one of Australia's most popular holiday destinations on the coast. Beach culture is what it's all about. So everyone lives a lifestyle of "fun in the sun" - we even have parking meter attendants that get around in gold bikinis (extremely tacky, I know!)
A tan tends to go hand in hand with this type of lifestyle - especially as everyone wears the least clothes possible.

Having been born in England, I used to have an "English rose complexion" - but that soon got grilled to a turn on the beach when my family moved to Australia when I was a teen. Even though we are warned about the dangers of sun damage (we are the skin cancer capital of the world), young people still like to spend hours sun-baking.

Sometimes I rue the times I lay baking to a crisp - I wish my skin was flawless and freckle free. But then, summer's on its way.........

free skin care · Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:29 am

Myself, I don't care much for a dark tan...a nice "healthy" looking glow is appealing, but at what price? When the time comes for all those years of healthy glowing to rear its ugly head in the form of sun damage, then it starts to look horrible and you either stop with the baking or keep on doing it.

I was in Florida this past March and at my hotel, a woman was baking herself out in the sun and I kid you not was as dark as a milk chocolate bar....she looked about the age of 80+...skin was wrinkled from head to toe and leather looking, seriously like an alligator! She had this bleach blonde hair...I still can see her like it was yesterday it was that bad. Rolling Eyes

The man she was with looked to be mid/late 50's so I would only assume she would be in the neighborhood of his age...It just blows my mind how people can think that looks good...it was purely horrifying Sad

So to sum it all up....I would much rather have no color at all than to keep up a healthy glow and pay the price later. I know mild sunbathing is not as harsh as baking 24/7, but any way you look at it sun damage is sun damage that will show up sooner or later.

Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:43 am

I'm fair and do not tan well, so I don't bother.
These days I do not like overly tan faces, but a little fake tan on my legs works wonders hiding little imperfections. I only fake a tan when I go on a beach vacation.
After trying many at home self tanners and getting airbrushed by a so-called pro and hating most of them, I'm officially in love with Clarins "Radiance Plus Golden Glow" body lotion. It is a self tanner, not a lotion that builds up gradually over time. The color will appear after one application.
For me that is exactly what it does - it gives me a golden glow. Just a hint of color and very natural looking on my skin.

free skin care · Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:24 am

Just my own personal taste, but I like any skin colour, as long as it's the original natural born colour, without any sun damage (tan) or artificial colouring (fake tan/bleaching).

I love the look of pure jet black skin, and palest white, and all the shades in between. Good skin will always be good skin, regardless of colour/race. Sadly we're not all blessed with that, but too much sun exposure is unlikely to help anyone in the long run.

free skin care · Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:46 am

Well said appletini, I wish I had the no sun damage part myself. Ah, to be young again but with more wisdom (just for the skin)!
On that note, I think Halle Berry has the most beautiful skin color. I love that mocha shade.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:47 am

Really I think that the same amount of people prefer tanned skin to light skin and vice versa. I have heard many people talking about smooth milk white skin being beautiful and tanned golden skin being the most attractive thing on a woman. Really, I used to tan sometimes, but now I think that whatever skin color you have is the best look for you. I'm not really one to change my appearance, I like to enhance it. I am mixed races so I have what most of my friends would call a "tan" but really my skin is a very very light brown, almost beige lol. It's too much time or money for me to waste trying to maintain a tan so I stopped caring and now I don't have to worry about peeling skin, or my make up being too light for my face and having to restock my products all the time to match my different skin colors.

free skin care · Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:12 am

appletini wrote:

Just my own personal taste, but I like any skin colour, as long as it's the original natural born colour, without any sun damage (tan) or artificial colouring (fake tan/bleaching).

I love the look of pure jet black skin, and palest white, and all the shades in between. Good skin will always be good skin, regardless of colour/race. Sadly we're not all blessed with that, but too much sun exposure is unlikely to help anyone in the long run.

ITA

free skin care · Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:04 pm

AnnieR wrote:

On that note, I think Halle Berry has the most beautiful skin color. I love that mocha shade.

Yes, that woman is so gorgeous it should be illegal! And her model boyfriend is also rather easy on the eye.
I believe they had a baby recently.... haven't seen pics, but I'm guessing that child has won the genetic lottery big time !

free skin care · Sat Sep 12, 2009 8:17 am

MarieIG wrote:

appletini wrote:

Just my own personal taste, but I like any skin colour, as long as it's the original natural born colour, without any sun damage (tan) or artificial colouring (fake tan/bleaching).

I love the look of pure jet black skin, and palest white, and all the shades in between. Good skin will always be good skin, regardless of colour/race. Sadly we're not all blessed with that, but too much sun exposure is unlikely to help anyone in the long run.

ITA

appletini, well said!

free skin care · Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:15 pm

I use the NORVELL NT-2000 system, with Amber Sun Solution and I love the way a tan looks.....I would MUCH rather be tan, thn pale...... Plus the perk of not having to wear make-up.....I can get up later in the mornings Smile

ETA: Some spray tans do look very unnatural, but there are a ton out there that actually look very natural.....Much better than tanning in the UV rays

free skin care · Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:40 am

I think after having health problems I have major radar for anything that might injure my health. IMO beautiful skin is healthy and baked (eventually wrinkled) skin doesn't look healthy.

Also a lot of people aren't aware that you can develop Actinic Purpura as early as your sixties from a lifetime of sun exposure. You might be young and think that's forever from now but I know 2 people with it who are so distressed they always wear long sleeves.

Actinic Purpura is that thin fragile skin you see on older people that is covered with large purple bruises. I plan on living to 100 and I think I'll still be vain so now I want to be healthy in everything I do.

I hate fragrances too because they are so damaging to your health. It's now becoming mainstream science that toxic VOCs from everything having fragrance are one of the leading causes of the rise in Alzheimers. The highest occupation that gets Alzheimers is cosmetologists because they breathe high concentrations of chemicals all day!!!

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