Research on the Harmful Effects of Tanning
Bring on the Bronze
Parents have been telling their kids to “say no to drugs” for years, but the latest thing to say no to isn’t a drug. What use to be the simple act of relaxation has turned into a compulsive and addicting act. The new drug is the sun, better known as the tanning bed. The focus on color, or rather shade, of skin has been an issue for centuries. But more recently, western civilization has become obsessed with tanning. Teenage girls are giving into the habit everyday. Unfortunately, this obsession is unhealthy and more importantly addictive. A golden tan has not always been sought after. In past times, people strived for pale skin. People adapted ways to lighten their face. Greeks and Romans applied substances such as lead paint and arsenic (Sliss). Obviously, this caused a great amount of illness. Many historians believe pale skin was valued because of its significance; if a person spent a lot of time outside performing labor or work, their skin became dark. Therefore, the pale skinned population were generally those of wealth (Jablonski, 45). It was only a matter of time before the tide changed. It seems that the tanning craze exponentially grew. The trend started out slow. Historians claim the first celebrity to kick off the tan was Co Co Chanel. In 1923, she was seen leaving her yacht with a golden tan. The event caused much attention, and she claimed her tan was an accident from relaxing in the sun. After this accident, tanning took off (Sliss). The wealthy had money to take lavish vacations to sunny locations. Contrary to earlier times, the wealthy were now all out getting tans. Instead of bronzed skin representing countless hours of labor in the sun, it represented countless hours of relaxing. In addition, thanks to the jazz age, clothes covered less letting the suns rays reach more (Sliss). The golden tan was in, it was only a matter of time before the craze grew into obsession. In the early eighties the tanning bed was
Parents have been telling their kids to “say no to drugs” for years, but the latest thing to say no to isn’t a drug. What use to be the simple act of relaxation has turned into a compulsive and addicting act. The new drug is the sun, better known as the tanning bed. The focus on color, or rather shade, of skin has been an issue for centuries. But more recently, western civilization has become obsessed with tanning. Teenage girls are giving into the habit everyday. Unfortunately, this obsession is unhealthy and more importantly addictive. A golden tan has not always been sought after. In past times, people strived for pale skin. People adapted ways to lighten their face. Greeks and Romans applied substances such as lead paint and arsenic (Sliss). Obviously, this caused a great amount of illness. Many historians believe pale skin was valued because of its significance; if a person spent a lot of time outside performing labor or work, their skin became dark. Therefore, the pale skinned population were generally those of wealth (Jablonski, 45). It was only a matter of time before the tide changed. It seems that the tanning craze exponentially grew. The trend started out slow. Historians claim the first celebrity to kick off the tan was Co Co Chanel. In 1923, she was seen leaving her yacht with a golden tan. The event caused much attention, and she claimed her tan was an accident from relaxing in the sun. After this accident, tanning took off (Sliss). The wealthy had money to take lavish vacations to sunny locations. Contrary to earlier times, the wealthy were now all out getting tans. Instead of bronzed skin representing countless hours of labor in the sun, it represented countless hours of relaxing. In addition, thanks to the jazz age, clothes covered less letting the suns rays reach more (Sliss). The golden tan was in, it was only a matter of time before the craze grew into obsession. In the early eighties the tanning bed was
Cited: Christensen, Tricia Ellis. "What are Tanning Salons?" Wise Geek. 14 Feb 2006. 25 Oct 2007 . Cook, Kim. Personal. 19 Nov 2007 Cooper, Chris. "Sunlight, tanning booths, and Vitamin D." Science Direct. 05 Jan 2004. 25 Oct 2007