i like to get a little bit of sun. it helps with my emotional well being and physical health, but in terms of actual tans, i tan very well, but can't stand the damage. i haven't tanned deliberately for years, and i look way younger than most of my SoCal and NM friends. as such, i catch a lotta hell from my tan obsessed acquaintances. they nag me to at least get a spray-on tan. jeez. screw that. i take care of my skin and it looks nice. men like it just fine. my husband says it's nice to see someone who stands out once in a while. visually stimulating.
I'm irish too, and couldn't tan if I wanted too. I always had a hard time dealing with my pale skin, my sisters were more dark complected because my mom is, and they would always tease me about my pale skin, and my mother always would suggest I try tanning to look better (like I looked bad or something), but I take after my father - who is very pale as well. I have gotten much more comfortable with my complexion now that I don't live with my overly-critical mother.
Heheheh, you know what this made me think of? Something my oldest son, who is 5 years old, said a few months back in regards to his grandmother. She was obsessed with tanning, all throughout her life. She had a pool with a beautiful deck and was forever laying out and bronzing her skin. She also had a condo in Florida in which she spent half of the year, and of course, down there she was soaking up the sun even moreso. Well, her skin has payed the price, and has looked that way for quite some time, not just due to age. Anyway, my son was sitting on his grandmother's lap and looks up at her, scrutinizing her face. Then all of a sudden he says "You look just like a lizard!" I must have turned every shade of red, but luckily she didn't catch on to what he was saying.
My skin is also very pale, and i cant stand the sun....everytime i go out in the sun it feels like burning...really uncomfortable...today I bought this SPF 60!!!! suncream (for kids, mind you) cos i know this summer i'll be out lots and i dont want to get skin cancer. anyway, i never wear shorts or skirts without pantyhose because i just dont feel comfortable showig my legs at all, i'm more of a trouser girl, well i have always been!!! I used to get teased by people all the time because i was so pale, but that was in southamerica where i lived until i was 14 and everyone (well most people) have naturally tanned skins, so they would take the piss all the time because my hair was not dark and i was so white.....i used to feel very self councsious, but then I realised it's cool i love my skin!!! i dont even mind i have freckles anymore, oh boy that used to get me down, but they're part of me, so i might as well accept they are!!! i dont like tanning that much, besides i dont get tanned very easily as you might presume so its just a waste of time lying out there trying to get a tan, i'll be damaging my skin for no reason. mmm no thanks!
So not wearing shorts or a mini because you don't have a tan is keeping your legs from getting a tan. A catch 22 IMHO. Personally I wear pantyhose, stockings, or tights in the colder weather when I have less tan so it isn't much of a concern. I wouldn't let it bother me too much anyhow. I think that this denying yourself shorter skirts because you don't have a tan is silly & I guess being a slave to vanity. Just show your legs as they are. I can tell you that I haven't ever heard a straight guy complain about a girl's legs being too pale.
My legs are about at Michael Jackson-esque that you can possibly get. Seriously. The sand at the beach is darker than my skin. I like being pale.
yes!!! i only wear skirts if i am very very tan im almost there my goal is to be a baked potatoe by june. Im working an event on monday where i pretty much just get to lay out all day so ill where a mini skirt to that in hopes of getting dark
My boyfriend, his roomate and I lay in the sun all the time..the two of us will just but our bikinis on and lay on the blanket...it is more of a time to lay around in the warmth listening to music and talking thing then feeling we need tans though...both of us are pretty tan naturally though, she is cuban and my father is black so we both get pretty dark pretty fast...especially becuase we dont use any sunblock and use oil..well no, I take that back, I put some spf 60 on my newest tattoo so I dont mess up the color but no where else, and she doesnt at all
lol I love my bikini..it is dark puple/lighter purple stripes with a cute little metal heart in the middle..I have fallen out of that thing more times then I remeber though *giggle*
If y'all had seen the cancer things growing on my dad's face and shoulder, you'd change your mind about tanning in a minute. (And of course now he has scars where they had to dig the cancer out!)
Here's a good page on skin cancer and tanning. There is no "right way" to do it and no such thing as a "base tan." If you are tanning, you are causing abnormal damage to your skin. http://familydoctor.org/159.xml Here's a good one about the dangers of "indoor tanning" and the truth about how it is just as dangerous as lying in the sun. http://www.skincancer.org/artificial/index.php This gentleman had a very enviable tan a few decades ago. http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:1a3gyBoIRUoJ:deafandblind.com/images/bdm01.jpg
hah, snowdancer, you make an awesome point with that catch-22. i live at the beach, and i also tend to live in a tank top and a long skirt. my skin is real pale in the winter, but it gets a natural tan fast and rarely burns. so i don't lay out and tan intentionally, but getting tan is inevitable by running around outside. at least on my arms and shoulders... my legs are noticably lighter if i wear something shorter, 'cause they're always under a skirt and don't get as much sun exposure. mini skirts have never been my thing, but if i want to wear one, say, cut to the knees, a bit of paleness sure wouldn't stop me from enjoying the breeze on a hot day. and like snowdancer pointed out, if one wears shorter bottoms with pale legs, those legs will eventually catch some sun. i might hold my arm up next to my leg and laugh at the extreme difference in skin tone, but it doesn't bother me or make me dislike myself.
I personally like tans, but i dont think you have to be tan to wear skirts or shorts. Thats just silly.
i'm so pale but i love laying out in the sun just haven't gotten around to it much lately this summer normally i get a tan but i'm not afraid to show off my paleness
