The Evolution of the Tan

One would assume that Coco Chanel did not real­ize that she would be setting a decades-long international trend when she stepped off her friend’s yacht in 1923. As the famous fashion designer stretched her dark, suntanned legs on the mainland again, explaining that she “had been in the sun too long,” a slowly evolving trend was finally set. Coco Chanel shall forever be credited as the first among many tanned Malibu Barbie-like women and men. Looking back through time, however, this changed ideal of beauty was a recent development for the issue of body image be­cause pale skin had been prized for centuries before.

Pale skin was considered a necessity of beauty even as early as ancient Greek and Roman times, when people would use various skin whitening methods to get the look, including lead paints and chalks. Light skin continued to be valued up until the Industrial Revolution because tan skin indicated that a person was poor and thus worked many hours outside as a manual laborer. In the Elizabethan Era in England, women carried parasols to protect themselves from the sun and powdered their faces with white make-up. Such fashion techniques spread to the United States during colonization.

The Industrial Revolution led to a reversal of roles, and many distinct industrial characteristics led to the equa­tion of suntans with beauty. First, the connection between working outside and poverty could no longer be completely justified. Many workers moved from farms to factories, where they performed indoor labor, which naturally led to pale skin. Women began showing more skin during the Jazz Age in the 1920’s, with miniskirts and sleeveless tops that exposed limbs to the sun.

Another important factor was the invention and increased popularity of the automobile. Owning an auto­mobile became a sign of wealth and allowed the rich to go on vacations, which included trips to the beach. Chanel merely confirmed this trend, giving herself as a celebrity to whom people could point and exclaim, “Look, she’s tan, too!”

Another interesting development during the early 20th century was a sudden interest in exposure to sunlight as a cure for certain diseases. Dr. Auguste Rollier opened a sun clinic in 1903, claiming that exposure to the sun could cure many illnesses. Although the sun does have some health benefits, especially its provision of vitamin D, it is now known that over-exposure can have dangerous con­sequences. Too much sun tanning can lead to skin diseas­es, especially skin cancer. People can generally consume enough vitamin D through their normal diets, so going to a tanning salon or lying outside too long should not be solu­tions to vitamin D deficiency.

Tanning also has evolved along with American soci­ety. The bikini was invented in the 1950’s, allowing woman to get an “all-over” tan. Today, there is a cultural conflict between the realization of the health defects caused by sunbathing and the pressure placed upon the youth through advertisements and images that idealize images of beach­es, California, and tan models.

Unfortunately, this trend is not only unhealthy but unfair to many people. Because of the large variety of complexions, many women and men cannot join their peers on the chaise longues in the sun because their skin is naturally more likely to burn and therefore they are at higher risk of getting skin cancer. Plenty of people have to wear sweatshirts and lather on the sunscreen when they go to the beach, while others choose to wear the least amount of clothing possible in order to avoid undesirable tan lines. There are also men and women who are proud of their paleness and their ability to properly take care of their skin despite fashion trends and media pressure.

There are many beautiful celebrities who are no­tably pale, which demonstrates how beauty is all objec­tive. (Want proof? Look no further than Nicole Kidman, Evan Rachel Wood, Rose McGowan, and Gwen Stefani.) Not only that, but the attractiveness of tanning itself is questionable—sure, tanning is an accepted norm, but ask around and it will not take long to learn that most people find unnaturally tan people less attractive. The health and naturalness of you and your body is what matters because health is the most appealing aspect of your outer beauty. If your skin is naturally lighter, keeping it healthy is what will radiate beauty—if your skin is naturally darker, this is equally beautiful.

Tanning should be seen as the discriminating and recent trend it is, instead of one of the fundamental as­pects of beauty some consider it to be. If you ever feel self-conscious about the tone of your skin, keep in mind that beauty is truly about health and your self-confidence. Take the words of Scarlett Johansson, a notably pale and gorgeous actress, to heart: “If you’re comfortable with yourself, then it’s sexy.”