Originally posted by Jing
I hate the sun. Passionately. I will do everything I can to avoid both it and tans.
Yeah.
Give me overcast skies and a briskly cool wind any day. Or, better yet, every day.
pale pride.
i should clarify. its all nice and fine when people are naturally tan, but i do not like when people go out of their way to make themselves look different like that… especially when it has such bad side effects…
plus… im english/irish…
Originally posted by Sinistral
[b]Walking around in southern california for extended periods of time AND tanning (which is lying around instead of walking ) will give you skin cancer.UV rays can cause mutations in the DNA. All cancers arise from the right combination of mutations. [/b]
Well, the world isn’t Southern California. And even still, sunscreen will help keep out the majority of the seriously harmful rays.
Sorc: Don’t forget Florida, when it’s not raining.
Why tan? What’s the point, it’s not worth the risk of burnin’ your ass or getting cancer.
For some people, Mr. Hayes, it is.
Funny, it used to be the other way around. Back in the day, tans were considered unattractive because they suggested prolonged exposure to the sun, which meant you worked under the sun long hours, meaning you worked with your hands and ergo were not a gentleman / did not have means.
Now, of course, tans suggest extended time spent vacationing and relaxing under the sun, which suggests you DO have means / are a “gentleman” (or the modern equivalent thereof, i.e. “a well off pompous asshole”). Though, of course, this is far from accurate (read on).
It’s a cosmetic enhancement, like plastic surgery, only relatively cheap and painless by comparison, ergo “anybody can do it.” And with our warped and sadisticly unreal standard of beauty (especially for women) in Western culture (particularly here in America) and the high social value attached to it for those who get there… long term health is a small price to pay for a few glory years. Like when football players would take steroids for that little “extra edge” [and the “supplements” taken now, not yet outlawed for the side effects we’re still discovering when the guys suddenly drop dead when it gets too hot outside.]
This reminds me of the Victorian era, where it was pretty cool to be as pale as a corpse. Except in reverse.
I read somewhere’s that Japanese women used to do it. Or some do, now, walk around with veils on a sunny day, to ensure that their skin is as pale and white as possible.
However, can’t that just be as…dangerous? Not exactly dangerous, but if you live without sunlight and deliberately avoid it, can’t you develope some problems as well? Tanning and skin conditions is certainly not my specialty so I wouldn’t know 
A tan, or staying pale is both beautiful to me, so either way I’m happy if I am one or the other.
Tanning and getting burnt can depend on your skin colour, can’t it? if you have a naturally pale complexion and light hair, you will probablly burn and are at a higher risk of skin cancer (so my science teacher tells me) than people with darker complexions and hair. So, if you’re of light complexion, it will probably do good just to tan maybe 15 minutes on each side, maybe once every two days. it is recommended that you spend only 20 minutes a day or less in direct sunlight, as that wont be harmful…just something to keep in mind while tanning.