Proud of Pasty White

I watched the news the other morning.  The story about the New Jersey mom who took her young daughter to the tanning salon began with no images.  I didn’t think much about it.  The next day when the image of the New Jersey mom popped up, I shrieked.  I understood the entire hubbub.

I fell victim to a bit of the tanning craze many years ago before tanning salons were invented.  My skin is fair, really fair.  I have no eyebrows or eyelashes unless I color them in.  I forget to shave my legs because I don’t notice the hair until its really long.  Luckily my desire to tan is offset by the fact I don’t tan.  Despite my best efforts lying in the sun, my skin did not brown.  My skin turns the color of sandy dirt, not appealing.

In my early 20’s, the doctors thought I had skin cancer.  They took hunks out of lower back, neck and shoulders.  It wasn’t cancer but they told me to just stay out of the sun.  Living in Seattle this is not a problem.  I proudly show my pasty white arms and legs in the summer.  I lather on sunscreen if its hot and I’ll be in the sun.  I think about all those wrinkles I won’t have when I’m 70.

Have a tanning or an anti tanning story?  I’d love to hear it.

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