Most of my extended family has the olive skin befitting our Portuguese and Black Irish heritage (with dashings of Israeli, Guatemalan, and pretty much every country signed to the United Nations). Unfortunately, this gene has not extended itself to me; maybe it's because my English side has watered it down or something, but even in a family of blue eyed, blonde ringleted, pale skinned siblings, I seem to be the only one that has inherited our father's clammy, un-tannable skin instead of my mother's olive skin. I'm not big on fake tan or sunbeds (I swear whenever I use them I can feel the cancers growing!), but I'm more than a little miffed that I seem to have inherited all of the bum genes in my family.
This is sort of sad in that it means I have one less thing to make fun of people about. I am the palest person I know except my brother, who is practically translucent. We are Dutch/Scottish--basically the most melanin-free people you can imagine. SPF 80 Billion, yes please.
The fake orange tan has got to go (I'm talking to you, Nancy "Oompa Loompa" O'Dell). Whenever I see someone that shade, I worry they have a severe case of jaundice.
I recently gave up going to hollywood tans. It's something I'd been doing off and on for years, I was never orange because my skin's sort of olive-y but I'm Irish and get super-pale in the winter. Now that I'm 26 I figure it's not doing my skin any favors. Also I don't care for the fake look, i.e. highlights, fake nails, excessive maquillage etc. I haven't gotten any hair coloring done in years. So I guess maturity kicked in finally and I'm accepting my God-given self. That, or I'm just really broke:)
Who in his right mind thought that that looked natural? And who didn't have the balls to say "Uh, Valentino? You look like a satsuma. Maybe we should put the spray tanner down now before someone from the CDC comes over?"
I used to get teased for my paleness and it really bothered me my whole life. Last year, I found a small patch of non-matastizing skin cancer on my neck and found out I have an extremely elevated risk of melanoma. I realized that not only do I not tan, I shouldn't even try. I never fake-and-baked or even tanned much in the actual sun, but now I have embraced my inner Dita Von Teese and go completely au natural, even though I tend to look so white I glow in the sun.
A few years ago, my mom had to have some non-malignant skin cancers burned off of her body. She grew up in a time of sun worship, when people didn't know it would lead to lines, wrinkles and sun spots--and cancer. Because of her, I am extra-careful with my skin now. I have very fair skin--and orange is not a good color for me!
You know, I could actually live with someone else's natural tan. If they want to ruin their skin, that's their business. But the fake tans are so, so awful. I don't know how people don't know that they look like Ooompa Loompas. Good riddance to this one.
I've heard other people comment on the irony of how so many white people go to such greath lengths to attain an artificial darkness while many "people of color" across the globe are obssessed with blanching their skin so that can appear more Caucasian-esque.
Anyway, it's not just about looking Caucasian. Extremely pale skin has always been in fashion in Asia, even before contact with Europeans, for the same reason it used to be in America - it shows that you're rich and don't have to labor in the sun all day.
And that's why tans became popular in America - once the average peon went from the farm to a cubicle, being tan showed you had lots of leisure time and weren't stuck in an office all day.
@lisomiso: You're probaly right about the whole "pale skin = sign of affluence and class" bit, but in Korea and parts of China, for example, not only is whiter skin prized, by more Caucasian-influenced features such as larger, full-lidded eyes and straighter noses are also widely sought after. I also understand that skin-whiteners are very popular in India, but with them it seems to be more of an issue of social status than wanting to look Westernized. Or perhaps it's a conflation fo both.
Tanning is one of those things that I am always conflicted about. Because of my Spanish-Irish heritage, I have very FAIR but olivey-yellow skin. I can't really rock the pale like an Anne Hathaway or Nicole Kidman, because it's not that ivory colour, you know? I suspect I would look better with a slight tan, but am generally cheap/lazy/afraid of my face looking like a purse when I get older. Sigh.
That said, I would never spray-tan. I tried it once at home and all the colour came off in wierd streaks when I shaved my legs. Yikes, and I had to throw away a good razor!
@MissMaple: Ah! I have this coloring too, and I swear I look green in the winter. This is the first year I've ever fake-baked (I'm 24), I go 15 minutes every two weeks, and it takes care of the greenish color, but I am terrified of cancer and looking like a leather purse. I have tried bronzer, but I should probably give it a second shot. The first kind I bought had sparkles in it, and I felt like an idiot with it on.
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Though I was a Goth kid when I was teenager so that might be why. But I still love me some pale skin. I use that MAC primer that's SPF 50.
Unfortunately my cheeks are always pink no matter what I do, but whatever.
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I was walking around my neighborhood last night and saw plenty of greasy looking, weird tanned, fake everything girls.
But I do live in the EVIL that is Hollywood....
I'm going to the rooftop pool to get some sun now....
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Who in his right mind thought that that looked natural? And who didn't have the balls to say "Uh, Valentino? You look like a satsuma. Maybe we should put the spray tanner down now before someone from the CDC comes over?"
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I like being pale. If I do get sun (which is pretty common as I live in Southern California), I turn a hideous shade of yellow. Blech.
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What's wrong with this picture?
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Anyway, it's not just about looking Caucasian. Extremely pale skin has always been in fashion in Asia, even before contact with Europeans, for the same reason it used to be in America - it shows that you're rich and don't have to labor in the sun all day.
And that's why tans became popular in America - once the average peon went from the farm to a cubicle, being tan showed you had lots of leisure time and weren't stuck in an office all day.
11/30/08
You're probaly right about the whole "pale skin = sign of affluence and class" bit, but in Korea and parts of China, for example, not only is whiter skin prized, by more Caucasian-influenced features such as larger, full-lidded eyes and straighter noses are also widely sought after. I also understand that skin-whiteners are very popular in India, but with them it seems to be more of an issue of social status than wanting to look Westernized. Or perhaps it's a conflation fo both.
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That said, I would never spray-tan. I tried it once at home and all the colour came off in wierd streaks when I shaved my legs. Yikes, and I had to throw away a good razor!
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