Say it ain't so, Coco!

Two of my previous posts were dedicated to decrying the tan as a harmful and worthless trend. It's no secret that I am passionately against tanning, and most of my posts usually hint at this point of view. Continuing on my anti-tan campaign, I've decided to recount a short tale of Coco Chanel, crediting with bringing the suntan craze to world in 1923.

According to the legend, on a voyage from Paris to Cannes aboard the yacht the Duke of Wellington, Coco accidently fell asleep on the deck of the ship. She acquired a sunburn, which developed into a tan, and after returning to Paris, flaunted her new look at the fashion shows. The world quickly took notice and women in Paris and beyond began adopting a new skin color. Coco, so highly regarded for her pioneering skills and staying power in the world of fashion, had inadvertently started a craze, which was encouraged by the looser clothing styles of the time. Gone were the days that pale skin was revered in the West. Tanned skin replaced this standard and became the ultimate symbol of leisure and wealth, with novels like F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night illustrating the upper class embrace of the trend.

While many still perceive the tan as attractive and desirable, there is a growing number of people that realize tanned skin is not worth the momentary gratification. There are some undeniable health benefits to limited sun exposure, namely the production of vitamin D, but this is no license to sit out and bake for hours. So, here's to smart sun exposure, natural skin color and staying cancer-free!