Is Sun Tanning Being Cultured?
Every year, when summer rolls around, I see people on social media posting about sun tanning by the pool. As a brown teenager living in a mostly caucasian community, I have had my fair share of conversations starting with “omg you’re so tan, I wanna be that skin tone” or “I can’t believe summer is almost over, and I am still so pale”.
Maybe I am exaggerating but man did those conversations get boring and annoying. Why do teenagers want to be the same colour as me? They don’t know what it’s like to be darker than everyone around them. They would have to deal with people staring or making weird looks, or making fun of the way you pronounce things. And yet, tanning is one of the most popular summer activities.
The real question for me was:
What’s the deal on sun tanning and when did it all start?
The History of Sun Tanning
The history of tanning can be chalked down to one single person.
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel.
Back in 1923, there was a photograph taken of the famous fashion designer in which she was suntan. She had spent too much time on a Mediterranean cruise. It wasn't intentional. When the magazine was published, the fashion industry loved the idea because it was novel. People loved the “suntan” look, and naturally, people found ways to harness the sun and technology to make themselves look darker.
This had a huge role in the industry and woman wanted to achieve this sun-kissed look. By that time, women had ditched the conservative views from the Victorian Era and were ready to embrace something new.
Light > Tan ?
Prior to this era, darker skin was associated with working in the fields. In fact, in many cultures, people used skin whiteners to hide their complexion. This was especially popular during the Greek, Roman even Elizabethian Eras.
But something changed after that photo was taken.
People now viewed being suntan, as a way to show others that you were living a luxurious life. It represented the ability to suntan and relax while others were hard at work.
How did people start trusting the sun?
It’s no secret now, that the sun’s rays can cause skin cancer and various skin diseases. Even back then, there was skepticism about utilizing the sun for cosmetic purposes.
However, in 1903 Neil Finsen won the Nobel Prize for his invention that used light therapy to remove skin ulcers that were formed by a type of tuberculosis called lupus vulgaris.
The combination of this science, and Chanel’s photo, pushed the beauty industry into a suntanning phase!
Tanning changes the beauty industry
Naturally, once suntanning grabbed the population's attention, products were made to enhance the experience and boost results. In other words… tanning oil!
The first tanning oil was made in 1928 by Jean Patou who was a French fashion designer.
Then in 1935, L’oreal Ambre Solaire was introduced which was a UV-filtering tanning oil.
Finally, in 1946, bikinis were invented which allowed women to tan more of their bodies!
After doing all this research on “tanning”, I find it incredible how just one incident of sitting on a cruise for too long completely changed the beauty industry and opened so many more doors for new products.
It was cultured for wealthy western folks to sunbathe!
This article is written purely out of curiosity. I encourage you to research when you have random questions that pop up in your head.
Learning about the history of tanning may change the way I look at my yearly summer conversations with my friends;)
Cheers and enjoy the sun,
Kavya
