So, I’m trying to understand this thing, why do so many girls use fake tan?
Do you feel pressured to do it or is just a preference?
I’ve recently heard a guy talking about his girlfriend and how the only thing she has left to do in order to get ready is to apply some fake tan; I’m also seeing a lot of girls wearing it and it’s so obvious that I just don’t understand it.
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They worship their lord and saviour, David Dickenson
They want sun kissed skin but not everyone gets that when they sunbath!
They want too look suntanned (which is a natural thing tbf) but don’t want to risk skin cancer on sunbeds.
Oompa loompa doopety doo…
Maybe it’s the same as how being plump used to be a reliable sign of wealth. Being tanned suggests you’re wealthy enough to have been away in the sun a lot.
Then perhaps starts one-upmanship in friends groups. The tan becomes an objective and an achievement.
It’s pretty needless in the grand scheme but it’s ok if that’s what people wanna do.
Well, a used teabag became tik tok famous and the rest is history……..
Because skin cancer runs in my family so I can’t use sunbeds, I look dead if I’m my natural pale skin, so… orange it is!
As a white pasty female lol I speak for myself here. When I go on holiday I go a gorgeous deep bronze tan. Everyone compliments me, tells me how beautiful and healthy I look. My teeth look whiter, my eyes look bluer, I’m elated.
When I am not in the sun and I remain pale, people tell me I look unwell, ask if I’m feeling sad or low, tell me I’m so white I’m almost see through.
Fake tan gives me that temporary high lol. It’s trial and error and takes honestly many years to get the right shade match but eventually when a woman finds her right tan, you can’t tell she’s wearing it. It’s a LOT of trial and error though. A lot.
Because pale skin is seen as bad. I don’t think it is.
Pale skin used to be prized. “Look at me, I don’t need to work in the fields.”
Now it’s “Look at me, I don’t need to work indoors. “
I’d put it down to perceiving tanned skin as more attractive. I myself am extremely pale and don’t tan well at all, I also don’t use fake tan (Not for any reason other than i can’t be bothered to learn how to do it properly and im okay with being pale). The reason I put it down to perception is because I have been told by both men and women ‘you would be so pretty if you just got a tan’. This implies to me that pale skin isn’t attractive, at least to these people (i recognise cultural differences, I am referring specifically to the UK) . I understand that fake tan isn’t the only way to get a tan but it is safer than prolonged sun exposure and tanning beds. So I can understand why some people would opt for fake tan, despite any issues (appearing fake, streaks etc).
“I’ve recently heard a guy talking about his girlfriend and how the only thing she has left to do in order to get ready is to apply some fake tan”
Who the fuck is putting their fake tan on last?
As a pasty woman, I’ve learned to be OK about my natural skin tone, because fake tan is maintaince and tanning is a cancer time bomb risk I don’t want to stress over. My partner tans really well, but is also sun smart, and he gets comments all the time from his mates when he wears shorts about how white his legs are.
Maybe it’s these comments that people are sensitive to, maybe they don’t want to be an target of unsolicited comments about their body.
Ironically, we need to normalise the lack of a “normal” skin tone. We’re all individual genetics cesspits, what comes out shouldn’t be a problem.
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Like make up, lip filler, Botox, etc, it’s “obvious” because you only notice the bad ones.
All the looks of a tan without being blasted by cancer causing UV radiation.
I’m a female who is as white as a ghost, and also the only one out of my friend group who doesn’t fake tan, I don’t feel pressured because I’ve always been confident in who I am. But I do get comments from people saying “omg you’re so pale, you need a tan” WHY do I *need* a tan? My skin is this colour naturally, why try and change something that is part of me. Never understood it.
Lots of people like how they look with a bit of a tan. And people like to look good. Think of it a bit like people who colour or style their hair in a particular way, wear certain jewellery, or like to wear certain colours.
It’s only “so obvious” when it’s overdone. You will probably come across 100s of people who have done it more subtly that you don’t realise are wearing it.
They don’t use it to try to pretend it’s a real tan, they use it because they simply think they look better a certain colour
It does appear that the world is trying to meet in the middle. Skin whitening cream is very popular in India. some cultures wear factor 50 with long sleeves and legs, a hat and an umbrella to prevent catching any sun.
As a pasty white male I look ill during the winter months, A small amount of tan in a bottle can work wonders for confidence and if done moderately with decent quality products, will look natural.
People do what makes th3m feel better about themselves, whether through preference or insecurities.
It’s up to them innit
I’m very pale. Brown hair, green eyes, Irish descent. Never found a tan that looks natural. If I go on holiday and I’m not careful, I go red then peel then white. Used to say ah well, no sun in Ireland. Except my Mum and my cousins on her side (NOT my redhead Auntie) tan amazing. I do understand the whole glow/looks healthy/looks slimmer approach if it works but it sure doesn’t work for me and too many people who try it! Obviously it is like most things, if done well you don’t notice but it is so often done so badly.
There seems to be no answer here but the answer is pretty obvious.
Its because you’re seen as more attractive. Most people in the UK dont get that natural sun glow so have to fake it.
If pale was seen as attractive then suddenly tubs of white paint or powder would go up. It’s all because of the media. We are controlled alot more than we think!
P.s I’m not caucasian, I have a ‘tan’ as I am asian but listening to others before going on a night out, its pretty sad how they feel forced to fit in. And yes I have fake tanned my mates’ back before!
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You get criticised when you’re to pale, and most people believe they look more attractive with a tan. Also a lottt of men fake tan. It’s hardly confusing
I’ve got a couple of points here that I’ve not seen in the other comments.
There was a period of time where having a tan was seen as undesirable because it meant that you worked outdoors under the sun, rather than indoors as a skilled or higher paid worker.
Then air travel became a thing, and having a tan meant you could afford to go away somewhere exciting.
But then cheap holidays and fake tan became a thing and now strong tans are considered tacky.
So it’s all kind of fashion.
I will also mention that having a bit of a tan evens out the complexion and hides some flaws, and at the same time adds depth to larger features. So the skin of a tanned leg might look smoother, and the calf muscles look stronger. Similar effect with low opacity tights/stockings.
I’m also going to add here that I’m a woman with fair/pale skin, I burn at the sight of a strong lightbulb and wear factor 50 suncream. I don’t use fake tan but know people who do.
I think bad fake tan looks bad. But good fake tan just looks like a tan – how would you know which is which? it’s like no makeup looks compared with full glam. It’s a different look, and people have they their own preferences.
I feel it looks nice (when done properly LOL) I’ve done it for years so mine passes as looking pretty real. Plus I’m terrified of sun exposure/skin cancer so fake is the way forward for me!
I’m pale and have been told on a night out by a man that I should fake tan! Personally I don’t like it, it can look awful when it’s patchy and it stinks.
No idea to be honest.
I’ve seen girls with so much fake tan that they look plastic and unnatural, and more often than not have obvious dark or light spots where the tan built up or wasn’t covered.
Figured it wasn’t something that I was attracted to pretty quickly and ended up unfairly judging these girls because they signed up to a fashion that I didn’t understand.
Then I met one and became good friends with a fake tanned girl, long nails and make up. Ended up asking her about her nails and all that and learning about these things and now I don’t really see them on people. Now it’s ‘oh so that’s how they wanted to look today, ok’. Same way you wouldn’t acknowledge someone for wearing a shirt.
It’s very much an image thing and a type of make up, and one of the reason people wear make up is to look the way they want to feel better/ more confident in themselves. Whether that be a style they made for themselves or saw on Tv and decided to try it out too.
When the tan is toooo far gone though then that’s beyond me, I just assume their friends didn’t tell them they put on too much. It’s been said in the thread already but there’s a definite learning curve to these things which is a trap for younger girls who haven’t had the practice/help to figure it out.
No be rude, they’re orange jokes. Usually with pale necks.
Well, it’s possible to have fake tan that looks fairly natural I think. The OTT tan is just another fashion trend I guess like clumpy mascara and too-dark lip liner :p
I honestly have no idea. Is it a cultural thing? Different circles? I’m reading so many comments here about people telling their friends “OMG you are so pale you need a tan”.
Never in my life has anyone told me this, or I have told this to someone else. I honestly don’t know anyone that has a fake tan, nor have I ever done it myself.
Tanned skin is a long running beauty standard in Western cultures (through sunbeds, sunbathing or fake tan); while pale skin is sometimes commented on negatively as a result (see “Oh my god you look unwell” etc.)
(Though in other cultures, pale skin is desirable.)
At the end of the day, if the person enjoys it and it makes them happy, then that’s the main thing (as long as they tan safely ofc.)
I grew up in Australia and was told repeatedly that the only safe tan is a fake one. I like my skin to look a little bronzed, but I don’t want sunburn or sun damage.
See language in many of the answers here for the answer to the question:
“unfortunately I’m pale”
“pasty”
“white as a ghost”
“look ill”
I used to feel pressure to be tanned, after being mocked while on holiday. A couple of years ago I had a mole that turned malignant after a trip to SE Asia. I’ve been so careful since then.
Really, really dislike the negative language around being pale/white that is so normal in the UK. It would be completely unacceptable to talk about other skin tones in such a way.
I’ve never used it since I’m just not big on cosmetics in general, but my mum used to get fake tans done a lot. She’s also had a couple of basal cell carcinomas on her face recently and has a vampiric complexion. I’d much rather she got the fake tans than real ones.
The first day she’d come home looking like an oompa loompa, but that was normal. The idea was to let it sit for 24 hours, then take a shower. After that it would fade and look a bit more natural.
So yeah if you wanna get a tan, it’s *much* better to get a fake one than a real one. At least you won’t look like a leather handbag by the time you hit your 50s or worse, get skin cancer.
I used to get a spray tan every Friday. Even had a monthly standing order set up with the lady who did it. Now my boyfriend tans me If we have a wedding to go to. I think it was covid and I just can’t be fucked anymore. I spend more time with moisturiser and skin care and hardly wear make up either when I used to to a full face every day.
The only beauty thing I have regularly done now is an eyebrow wax every 2 weeks and a fanny wax every 6 weeks. My nails are normally done too but I’m not arsed if they aren’t like I used to be. My roots used to get done every 4 weeks – now it’s every 4 months.
Guess I’m just a tramp and my pale skin shows it 😂🙈
Because it looks nice when you are very white and pale and the grey skies of our country wash us out, and men who dont know anything about it only notice the people with extreme versions who have got it wrong so they falsely decide and declare to everyone on Reddit confidently that it “looks bad” like thats a fact.
Fake tan can go wrong when you go shades darker than youre meant to or its patchy. If done correctly it looks nice and theres probably loads of girls youve walked past who you didnt realise wore it thar looked normal.
Same tired old conversation with men on here talking about filler, botox, make up, extensions really.
Also there’s no way fake tan is the last thing to do before going out. Its done usually the day before a big event so it can develop and be washed off.
Makes us feel skinny and healthy