Lindsay Lohan’s about to make zillions selling the spray version, and Rachel Bilson’s just been signed by Jergen’s to help promote their Natural Glow lotion via a campaign about sun safety, but we’re still confused – why do some people persist in pursuing the fake tan?
From girls readying themselves for junior prom all the way up to Valentino, there is a huge population of fake tanners even though a fake tan is kind of like too-dark foundation cracking over acne – totally obvious, and therefore, totally besides the point.
Which begs the next question: What exactly is wrong with being pale? Because from the Karen Elsons to the Alek Weks of the world, the only skin tone that’s ever made us utter “ew” is the shallow orange of a Hollywood Tans devotee – and even that faint brown of fake tan dabblers doesn’t make them look like they just spent a week in Florida so much as an hour in front of some light bulbs.
Some people cite the slimming effects of a tan – but is looking like a cuticle stick really worth looking like a spring breaker?
So if it never looks real, seldom looks good, and pretty much always looks cheap (not to mention that some states are looking to ban the tanning bed version altogether for minors for fear of a link to melanoma), why do people do it?
Tags: Fake Tan, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Bilson, Style.com
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As a perpetually pale girl, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve used the Jergen’s lotion a few times, but was pretty quickly turned off by the smell, the length of time it took the lotion to dry, the orange streaks it left on my sheets and clothes, the awkwardness of trying to get it evenly distributed over my back, and especially the fact that I had to reapply daily and restock every week or so. It just got to be too much hassle for too little payoff. I’ve also tried fake-baking, but I came out of the bed red as a beet after like 3 minutes – and as someone who’s had third degree burns from too much sun, I’m no longer willing to accept skin cancer as just another fact of life. It took some bad experiences, but after years of being called Casper and having professors ask if I need to go home because I look so pale, I’ve decided I’d rather be pale than in treatment for melanoma.
I try to stay out of the sun, but I LOVE the beach and all outdoorsy activities. I grew up in L.A…. aka land of the orange. I’ve seen women waaay into their 60′s with an “Island glow” that would only be possible if the island was 5 feet away from the sun. Their skin is leathery, dark orange. I don’t even understand how this could be considered attractive to anyone. Lindsay Lohan is a fair-skinned, red-headed freckle fest. I don’t think she looks natural with a tan. I liked her when she embraced what was natural about her. Effin Hollywood. L.A. is so out of touch!!!
posted by guest
Mar 31, 2009 1:37PM
You failed to distinguish the difference between tanning beds and fake tans.
I AGREE, and also it bothers me when people say tanning bed tans look fake. The exact same process is going on with your skin, how is that fake? It looks damn real to me but also I agree with other posters that say a fake tan is better than ruining your skin. I tanned in a tanning bed for a couple months and while I was loving the slimming effect, I got lots of new moles and freckles to show the derma. FAKE=NO CANCER. Sounds good to me people.
This post doesn’t acknowledge the many skin tones in between beautifully porcelain pale skin and naturally dark skin. My olive/yellow-green skin looks sickly without a tan.
Who dyes their hair?
Do you think you look better as a brunette, blonde, etc?
I think that fake tanning is fine. There’s plenty of other things we do that are fake. Putting on makeup is one of them.
Some people go over board, but I think one can tell the difference. Everything in moderation.
I don’t see why you need to write so negatively of it. You’d think you’d promote tanning lotions, etc. more so than a tanning bed, but you seem to condemn both.
Tan lines, anyone? I’m black with deep brown skin. Have JUST found a tanning lotion that will fix these tan lines. Thank ghod!
You used the phrase “begs the question” incorrectly. That term is supposed to suggest a logical fallacy, it is not interchangeable with “asks the question.” Common mistake.
If you are born white, aside from baking naturally under the (REAL!) sun, stay that way! Sorry, if you were born a specific skin tone, you are just NOT GOING TO LOOK GOOD 5+ SHADES DARKER. GOD MADE YOU WHITE NOT BROWN, OLIVE NOT BLACK, AND VISE VERSA. I am sick of seeing blonds looking like they were left in the oven for far too long (same goes to darker haired woman)! SHEESH! It’s gross! It’s ugly! No matter how many compliments you may receive, it’s all a commercial image frenzy, it’s expected by every dumb man to look “HOT”, it’s what the masses now think of as the new sexy. Guess what, not everyone is fooled.
Yeah it’s really annoying seeing some blondes go tan… don’t they know it just doesn’t look good? You often don’t look healthy you just look UNNATURAL! I know people who would love to have lovely white skin, ironic isn’t it
I’m so pale people stop me on the street and ask if I’m ok. It gets old but fake tanning is even worse.
I do Mystic (spray) tanning, and it looks good. Here’s the secret — there are actually 3 levels, and level 2 is the default. If you do level 3, you look orange. Level 2 looks a bit orange at first but then fades after showering. If you do Level 1, which is what I do, it’s very light, not orange at all, and gives you just enough color so that you don’t look sickly pale (which is how I tend to look in the winter sometimes).
Bottom line — fake tanning is just like losing weight or getting botox — all of them might look good in moderation, but celebrities tend to go to the extreme. The Lindsay Lohans and Tara Reids of the world have given fake tanning a bad name.
Oh, and probably the reason you think it ALWAYS looks bad, cheap, etc. is that if you’ve ever seen anyone with a GOOD fake tan, you wouldn’t know it’s fake.