Pale or Tan?

[miss_elise]

i don't think i could be pale, even if i wanted to be... my skin has too much of an olive-y tone...even my sunless tummy is kinda olive-y...

 

[Real Swell Gal]

I'm tan. I like being tan. I try not to let myself burn. But I look sick with pale makeup.

 

[=ritzy=]

I'm tan. I like being tan. I try not to let myself burn. But I look sick with pale makeup.

I know what you mean..i could never ever pull of the pale colored look ever. Even if I did try to avoid the sun, baithe myself in sunblock and walk around with a parasol, my bronzed colored skin will always look brown..

 

[Charlie Noodles]

I like both pale and tan women. I think there's too much pressure on people to be well tanned these days... Then again, plenty do look much better for being one or the other.

I'd be one of the ones that looks healthier tanned. Unfortunately, I tan about as well as most redheads.

 

[Lillemor]

I like both pale and tan women. I think there's too much pressure on people to be well tanned these days... Then again, plenty do look much better for being one or the other.

I'd be one of the ones that looks healthier tanned. Unfortunately, I tan about as well as most redheads.

It seems like it depends on where you live. The pale wave is definitely over us but I feel about it the way Real Swell Gal does.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Short answer: Whatever's healthiest for you. A little sun is good for everyone. But if you're pale, why cover yourself in massive amounts of fake tanner or - worse! - crisp yourself in the sun? If you're naturally bronze, enjoy it. Beauty comes in multiple shades.

 

[Real Swell Gal]

Short answer: Whatever's healthiest for you. A little sun is good for everyone. But if you're pale, why cover yourself in massive amounts of fake tanner or - worse! - crisp yourself in the sun? If you're naturally bronze, enjoy it. Beauty comes in multiple shades.

True, and you know I am one of those people that get into the downy dumps if I don't get some sunshine.
I don't think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder but.....sunshiiiiiiiiiiiiiine on my shoulders make me happyyyyyyyyyyy.



Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[Lillemor]

During one of my recent calls from my dad he mentioned some ladies who were middle aged during the 1940s-1950s when he was a kid and teenager and he remembers that they already had creppy dark tans. He grew up in California. Were these women either not vain or had beauty standards leaned towards tan in California longer than other places?

Btw. I tried to post a picture of myself in the avater field. Not retro but I just wanted someone else to help me determine my complexion. I couldn't make it work though.

 

[Smuterella]

Short answer: Whatever's healthiest for you. A little sun is good for everyone. But if you're pale, why cover yourself in massive amounts of fake tanner or - worse! - crisp yourself in the sun? If you're naturally bronze, enjoy it. Beauty comes in multiple shades.

wonderfully put - the key is to get your skin, whatever its colour, looking as healthy as possible.

 

[Miss 1929]

California Lizard Ladies

During one of my recent calls from my dad he mentioned some ladies who were middle aged during the 1940s-1950s when he was a kid and teenager and he remembers that they already had creppy dark tans. He grew up in California. Were these women either not vain or had beauty standards leaned towards tan in California longer than other places?

I think because there was a huge marketing campaign to promote California, and always the healthy sunshine was a factor! Plus, in much of the state, the weather is mild, not too terribly hot, so you tend to forget that you're in the sun. I personally started using sunblock as soon as it came on the market, as I have had sunstroke too many times, so I am the rare CA gal who looks younger than her age and has whiteness.

Btw. I tried to post a picture of myself in the avater field. Not retro but I just wanted someone else to help me determine my complexion. I couldn't make it work though.

What size was your picture? It has to be within the limits of 150 by 150 pixels or 195.3 KB, whichever is smaller. So you may have to save a smaller resolution version of your photo.

 

[TessTrueheart]

I'm pale. Well actually I'm transparant.lol . The last time I tanned was back in 1997. I'm uncomfortable in the sun and I burn very very easily.

 

[jayem]

I used to tan frequently in the beds. With naturally dark hair and very light skin, sometimes I think of myself as too washed out looking. Now, I just don't care. I'll enjoy whatever beauty I have, naturally. Plus, strangely I think tanning made me look fatter.

 

[Lillemor]

I think because there was a huge marketing campaign to promote California, and always the healthy sunshine was a factor! Plus, in much of the state, the weather is mild, not too terribly hot, so you tend to forget that you're in the sun. I personally started using sunblock as soon as it came on the market, as I have had sunstroke too many times, so I am the rare CA gal who looks younger than her age and has whiteness.



What size was your picture? It has to be within the limits of 150 by 150 pixels or 195.3 KB, whichever is smaller. So you may have to save a smaller resolution version of your photo.

I'll try resizing the picture. I didn't actually check it first. Thanks. My family's mostly lived in the San Joaquin Valley where it gets quite hot.

I began to use sunblock when I was old enough to have an opinion and be aware of the dangers.

 

[desi_de_lu_lu]

I'm pretty pale myself. As a matter of fact, at our last AZ Chippies Luncheon, which was a tiki pool party, I sat bare legged next to the lovely Lolita and we were both suprised to know that my leg was paler than hers. Go figure. I always thought she was so pale she was transparent.

I love pale skin.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

I just wanted to note that I've had some success so far with Olay's "Touch of Sun" lotion for dry skin. It's supposed to be a lotion with a touch of pigment and sunless tanner, so if you use it daily you'll develop some color. I've used it only on my legs, and I think it's working. Not too much color, but just enough to take off the sickly white hue my legs get without sun.

 

[Miss Sis]

When did sunbathing become truly popular? Was it in the fifities? Who were the sunkissed icons?

Coco Chanel started the whole sun tanning thing in the 1920s. It was a reaction to the horrors of the First World War, now the party loving Bright Young Things were spending summers in the South of France or other sunny climes partying. They had the time and money to get a tan out of season. The 1930s saw people believing tanned was beautiful and healthy as you were able to spend time outdoors.

I am a very pale girl and keep it that way. My Mum used to smother me in sun cream and make me wear hats in summer in New Zealand when no-one else bothered too much about their kids. I think they thought she was weird. Now schools don't allow children out unless they have hats and cream on. NZ has extremely high UV readings so there are high skin cancer rates.

My Mother has amazing skin for her age (nearly 65) which I put down to never sunbathing, wearing enormous Jackie - O sunglasses and huge sunhats. She looks at least ten years younger. I hope I look so good at her age!

I agree, Naturally Pale = beautiful.

 

[Lillemor]

That reminds me. I've told hub I want glasses with UV transition sunglasses because I can't afford both glasses and sunglasses and I can't even walk safely from one end of my house to the other without perscription glasses so there's no way I can go outside without perscription glasses. My astigmatism or whatever it's called is such that contacts are a very complicated thing to make for me. Glasses are part of my identity too. I feel naked and uncomfortable when asked to pose for cameras without them on or when I was younger and dates would ask to see me without my glasses on.

I'm looking at some photos of my late grandmothers from when they were both around 89-90 and while my maternal grandmother (Danish) may have been more predisposed to dropping of facial features, I don't see the same deep network of wrinkles I remember my paternal grandmother (CA, USA) had.

 

[Paisley]

Another factor that made sunbathing popular and supposedly "healthy" was that TB patients used to come West and sit in the sun at hospitals. Apparently, the warm, dry air was therapeutic for them.

 

[cherry lips]

Thanks Miss Sis for your reply. Very interesting! I'm still not convinced it was as popular to sunbathe then as it is now, since there were recipes for bleaching creams in beauty books, at least in the 50s. I could be wrong though! Maybe tans were in in the 20s-30s, and then became less popular? Or maybe bleaching creams were just for freckles? I'd like to know...

Coco Chanel started the whole sun tanning thing in the 1920s. It was a reaction to the horrors of the First World War, now the party loving Bright Young Things were spending summers in the South of France or other sunny climes partying. They had the time and money to get a tan out of season. The 1930s saw people believing tanned was beautiful and healthy as you were able to spend time outdoors.

I am a very pale girl and keep it that way. My Mum used to smother me in sun cream and make me wear hats in summer in New Zealand when no-one else bothered too much about their kids. I think they thought she was weird. Now schools don't allow children out unless they have hats and cream on. NZ has extremely high UV readings so there are high skin cancer rates.

My Mother has amazing skin for her age (nearly 65) which I put down to never sunbathing, wearing enormous Jackie - O sunglasses and huge sunhats. She looks at least ten years younger. I hope I look so good at her age!

I agree, Naturally Pale = beautiful.

 

[monicacaroline]

Fair.definitely.

I sometimes wish I had just a bit of color on my legs (translucent powder is the closest I can get to match my skin if that gives you any idea )

but since my dad had a melanoma removed a few years ago, any tan that doesn't come out of a bottle scares me. That and I don't want to look like a leather purse by the time I'm 30.

I think overall its best to not mess with your natural coloring. I have seen SO many girls with naturally beautiful skin (fair or olive) go the oompa loompa route.