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I wasnt shocked by the return of low-rise denim, silver eye shadow, or chunky highlights.
Kara Nesvig; Bella Geraci/Allure
But seeing young people intanning bedsall over my TikTok For You Page?Thatwas shocking.
Just like jelly shoes and body glitter, tanning is back, baby.
In my happy place back in 2009.
In my happy place back in 2009.
I used to love tanning.
Istilllove tanning deep in my heart, though I know its not good for me.
In my mind, I was a golden 1970s Bond Girl.
Tan me (far left) and friends circa 2004.
My obsession with being tan started when I was a little girl, no older than four or five.
To me, this was the epitome of glamorous, enviable adulthood.
That certainly did, even if I didnt understand why yet.
Me circa 2008, probably fresh out of a tanning bed.
I grew up in a tanning world.
In the aughts,everyonetanned.
It was such a popular activity that in 2007, E!
cashed in with a reality show calledSunset Tanabout a Los Angeles tanning salon.
You could even find tanning beds at the gym and the laundromat.
I drove with a pack of classmates to tan after school was dismissed for the day.
(The Playboy bunny head was also popular but not my vibe.)
I tanned indoors and outdoors, sometimes floating in our inflatable pool for hours.
I continued tanning through college in the late 2000s.
(They definitely did.)
Oh, it has SPF, Id say of my tanning potion of the week.
I think its SPF 8.
Instead of fading my acne scars, my sun habit just baked them into my skin for longer.
Im not so sure.
And yet I felt like my tan was worth it all.
Tan me (far left) and friends circa 2004.
Maybe tanning is so popular again because it never really went away in the first place.
Two: They like the way it makes them look, she says.
The more technology progresses, the more were all attached to our phones.
I have, and now I have to question why my tanning obsession began in the first place.
Who decided that tan skin was better-looking than pale skin?
(I know its often attributed to Coco Chanel, but shes notthatpowerful.)
Why do we put ourselves at such risks for a golden glow?
Me circa 2008, probably fresh out of a tanning bed.
I do, and Ill probably always feel my best with a tan.
One day youre 22 and the next youre 36 with crows feet and sun spots on your cleavage.
The facts are coming at us from all angles, so why arent we listening?
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