Don't Rain On My Parade: Sun Tanning Without Sun
Tanning is a fashion trend. The ultimate fashion authority – Vogue Magazine, proves this statement. In 1929 they said, “the 1929 girl must be tanned,” (1). This mantra has stuck ever since. Today, there are many ways to tan but because of the risks involved overexposure to UV-light including (but not limited to): wrinkles causing women to age faster and cancer tan-aholics have turned to the safer self-tanning alternative. This has created a large market for self-tanning products. The products provide a variety of ways to appear more tan. From manipulating light to using colored topical creams so a sunny complexion can be achieved anywhere, anytime. I’d like to discuss the invention of products designed around the tanning fad. The following are all mass-market products.
1. Self-Tanning Gel.
It seeps into your skin and makes the pigment darker quickly.
2. Tinted Lotion.
This is a new product. It appears to be a mix of lotion and cover up. You can move the dial to match your complexion. It just sits on the surface of your skin.
3. Estee Lauder.
This is an entire line to keep you looking sunkist all year 'round. I think it's called "Bronze Goddess". These are also topical products.
4. Bronzer.
Dark pigment powder that you apply to key areas on your face to make yourself appear more tan. It's used instead of blush. Washes off.
5. Lotion.
This product gradually makes your skin look more tan. It is used to even out your skin tone. My mother uses this on her legs all year 'round because she fears having to wear a skirt and having to reveal "pale pasty" legs.
6. The Backless Dress.
This is used to show off your tan. Perhaps this is why people try to tan evenly on the beach. Backless tops were popular when I left Beijing last summer but girls wore it with a contrasting tank top underneath.
I'd really like to find out why people buy these products and how frequently the buyers use these products. Do you like the way it works?
[1] Segrave, Kerry
2005 Suntanning in 20th Century America: McFarland & Company.
