Is Pale the New Tan?

For decades, gay men have been forerunners of fashion and style, trendsetters in every field of culture and lifestyle. What gay men do, mainstream follows. We take chances, push the limits and people tucked away in quiet burghs pick up on the buzz, sometimes light years later. So now that the veil has been lifted on the apparent evils of the fake and bake, will gay men lead the charge toward making it chic to be—gasp!—pale?

Since the dawn of time gay men have hit the electric beach to give our skin a golden hue, to make us seem as flawlessly beautiful as we think we are. But now that studies show hitting a tanning bed rank nearly as high as arsenic and smoking as a cancer-causing agent, will there be a drop off? Will tanning "spas" in gay ghettos around the world start shutting down for lack of patrons? It's hard to imagine a gay community without our year-round tan brethren, those who claim to have just gotten back from some exotic locale in February while donning the latest Prada wares despite having been out of work for two months (we all know it's about keeping up appearances, dah-ling).  

If gays can't hit tanning beds, do we now have to resort to using spray-on tans? They might be safer than the ultraviolet rays seeping from the beds, but is a report highlighting the negative affects of sprays' chemicals lurking just around the corner? What then—will we have to constantly rub self-tanner creams all over our bodies? (Hmmm, could make for an interesting party theme, come to think of it.) Or will we all wake up and realize that being a little less bronze is actually ok? Think about it, with the lack of tanning, we might age without looking like an old leather briefcase.

Gays have always been risk takers. We will continue to do things that are counter to the mainstream (there's a reason we live an alternative lifestyle, right?!). But now that the news is out that tanning truly is bad for you, will you stop? Or does looking beautiful now trump living a long and healthy life?

(Image courtesy of Getty)

Comments

[Generation_Y_Me]

I never tan. To me, tanning looks gross. So gross that I wear SPF 60 sunscreen and the lightest tinted moisturizer I could find.

[thesis paper]

Wonderful article, thanks for putting this together! "This is obviously one great post. Thanks for the valuable information and insights you have so provided here. Keep it up!"

[@Daniel_Baylis]

I agree that we could all tone it down a bit on the bronzing... real and fake.

But still, I'm not sure the sexiness of a tanned body will ever go out of style.

[Ken]

What about the allure of the tan line??

[Me]

I don't know if white guys with unnatural/fake tan know it or not but ethnic guys with real tan laugh behind their backs all the time! Unnatural/fake tan on white guys looks gross and sick! And after your white boyfriend coming out of a tanning session, you can't touch him for a whole day because his skin hurts! Doesn't care how much horny you are! Let me tell you, fake tan not ony destroy skins, it also destroy relationships!

[thesis paper]

Wonderful article, thanks for putting this together! "This is obviously one great post. Thanks for the valuable information and insights you have so provided here. Keep it up!"

[Chuck]

I'm very, very fair and was always told by my doctors to stay out of the sun. I've had moles removed, and really do not care to add any risk of getting skin cancer.

I avoid the sun.

[Kevin]

I don't think tanning will ever go completely out, especially not for the reasons given by this article. Wha? Because it's BAD for you? Smoking and drinking... ha- gays have all STOPPED doing that completely because it's bad?? Nope, not gonna happen. I have very fair skin and am also told to avoid the sun and have had moles removed (they came right back I tell you!) and though I'd like to have a darker tone, I'd much more rather not have the moles. My skin palour isn't anything I've ever been ashamed of, I'm just as willing to show off my body as the tanners and get plenty of notice. I think it's the women that should lay off the tan some. They over-do it in the extreme- up to and including lotions. It looks very, very bad, ladies. But if it's so attractive, then why can't guys do it to?

[Dentist Oceanside]

Whatever the trend, there are still people who does not follow anyway. So, it is just alright, though if there's any health concerns on tanning, then it should be raised and everybody should be aware of that.

[Payton]

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