Self-tanner is not a good look for me. If I wasn't so afraid to put it on my face, it might look a little better, but right now, I have darkish (for me), slightly steaky arms and legs and my normal glowing neon-white face. If I could find some self-tanner that was a little lighter, it might look better.
Most summers, it doesn't bother me to have such fair skin. I've learned to be fairly comfortable with it, but sometimes I wish I was just slightly darker. It really got to me in junior high, when all the other girls would go lay out in their back yards coated in Crisco (I'm not kidding). They would come to school crispy at first, but it would turn into a great tan. I didn't need the Crisco. I can burn without the aid of any partially hydrogenated substance. But I'd go lay out so I could be like all the other girls. I'd burn. I'd peel. I'd turn white again. It's the story of my life.
By the time I was in highschool, I'd learned the value of sunscreen. I'm not saying I didn't get burned every year, but I didn't actively invite it as I did in junior high.
Now, I try to get a little sun here and there - you know, Vitamin D, and all - I don't want to get the Rickets. I'm not trying to get tan, though. I know it's a lost cause. I was hoping that this could be the summer of self-tanner. I don't want to be especially tan, just tan enough to take the edge off. I guess some things just aren't meant to be messed with: you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, and you don't try to make skin this white look tan.
Get out your sunglasses. I'm back to the glow-stick legs.
From a fellow pale-skin-don't-bother-trying-to-get-a-tan-but-wish-I-was-a-litter-darker person, I just tried taning lotion the other night for the first time and it went pretty well. I put lotion on first in a thickish layer so the tanning lotion spread around more evenly. My husband said my legs are a little orange, but at least it is an even orange!
Posted by: jlg at April 1, 2005 05:29 PMYah, I feel your pain. Being a red-head with freckles rates me in the highest category of getting skin cancer. But what was really funny is the fact that April 2nd (last saturday) was Trinity Presbyterian's annual Kite Day. The following Sunday morning you could easily tell who had been to the beaches flying kites with the "I am not ashamed of Christ" sun burned faces (including me).
Posted by: Joe at April 3, 2005 11:51 PMTotally understand where you are coming from. I am hopelessly destined to whiteness also, but will probably always keep trying to do something about it. I went to the tanning bed once the summer before I got married and other than being very relaxing didn't get much out of it! I will only be tan if I become one giant freckle. And Brad is even more careful of sunscreen on me than I am. He is extremely afraid that his wife will die of skin cancer. Have never tried tanning cream because I was always afraid I would do a bad job and then just be stuck with it. Embrace your "snow white" destiny and realize you are not alone. (Rachel is definitely stuck just as white as you are!!!)We will look better at 50 than all the Malibu Barbie dolls!
Posted by: Adrienne at April 8, 2005 11:42 AMFrom a man's point of view...tans are very overrated.
That's all I have to say about that.