On The Crispies

Were you fooled into thinking this post would be about the lovely fall weather we've been having?

Nope, sorry.

I plan to dig into a subject that I find extremely interesting. First, some background: I work at an apartment complex that provides housing for 900 university students. Of these, 70% are female. Of these, about 70% are crispy.

What I mean is that about half of our students oil themselves and lay beneath florescent bulbs to tan their skin to an unnatural glow all year long. Fake-and-bake. Crispy.

Luckily for them, one of our competitive moves recently was to purchase a tanning bed and provide tanning services for free to our residents. This business decision resulted in much rejoicing from The Crispies (who would no longer have to pay for said services) and even converted some new Crispies to the already rather large flock. The tanning bed is booked solid for weeks in advance.

In an attempt to remain socially responsible,  we require Crispies to make appointments and sign in and out so that we know who is using the tanning bed. The Crispies are warned about the dangers of indoor tanning, although the freckled masses still come and tan. They are allowed to make up to 3 appointments a week. If they take advantage or if appointments are missed without notice, The Crispies can be put on the "Tan-Ban" (aka have their tanning privileges revoked for the semester).

The creation of the "Tan-Ban" has had rather startling results. I have seen girls cry, throw temper tantrums and/or loudly spout profanity after learning that they have made the list. This behavior has led me to contemplate this strange desire to be bronzed.

What's with the striving for tanned skin? I can admit that while in my teens I also chased the bronze for a while, though I still can't put my finger on exactly why I thought it was so important. It makes me wonder, what is it about being browned that makes us feel more beautiful?

The fashion of skin interests me because bronze is not always synonymous with beautiful. In ancient Greece and Rome, women used to lighten their faces with chalk or lead to appear paler (clearly with disastrous consequences in the latter case). In some Asian cultures flawlessly milky skin is still the goal. In China, women have been known to use "whitening correctors" and bleaching agents to try and lighten their completion. In fact, pale skin was fashionable almost everywhere until the 1920's (see the two articles at the bottom of this post if you're interested in more).

So maybe it's not just The Crispies. Throughout history women have been changing their appearance based on what society considers beautiful. I propose a new movement. Let's get natural. Whether you're olive, milky or freckled, it's all beautiful. And let's face it, there's nothing worse than a obvious orange-y glow in the dead of winter.

I'll let you in on what changed my mind. Since entering my 20's I've stopped worshiping the sun god, indoor or out. For me, it was not the sudden realization that sun-tanning can cause me cancer as much as a desire to not look like this when I am 40:

I enjoy a dose of vitamin D just as much as the next girl, but as far as bleaching creams or fake-and-bake sessions go, I'll stay natural. Thank you very much.


LA Times Article
Sunday Times Article