A Brief History of Tanning
It wasn’t always this way. For centuries, tanned skin was considered unattractive, especially among women. A tan was not golden or glowing, but brown and weathered — proof that someone labored outdoors. Well-bred ladies protected themselves with hats, parasols and long sleeves. Coco Chanel is widely credited — or blamed — with changing all that. In 1923, the story goes that Chanel, the French fashion designer, accidentally got a lot of sun while sailing aboard a yacht to Cannes. When she returned from the Riviera golden brown, a fad was born. Before long, so was an industry. Movie stars, politicians, models, teenagers, housewives — everyone wanted to look bronzed. The rich and famous traveled to sunny places in winter or used a sunlamp. Ordinary people “worked” on their tans, “lying out” in the sun for hours. By the 1970s, suntan lotions were giving way to sunscreen concoctions boasting varying degrees of protection. Tanning beds and booths began catering to those who wanted a tan but worried about the sun.
Why do we like to tan? Reasons For Preferring Indoor Tanning
Getting a tan, nowadays, is no longer a cosmetic undertaking. A considerable number of people believe that a tan not only makes a person look healthy, but also makes them have stronger and healthier bones. A person who has tanned skin or regularly uses a tanning bed has been found to have bones that are denser and sturdier. Whereas a person who lacks exposure to either direct sunlight or ultraviolet radiation suffers from a lack of vitamin D.
Obtaining a gorgeously tanned olive skin can be done in two different ways. A person may either lounge directly under the sun or get inside a tanning bed. Not all people, however, have direct access to the sun. And then there is winter, a season not at all conducive to staying out and soaking in the sunlight. Thus, people resort to tanning beds. Tanning beds give them a great tan and, at the same time, help them stay warm amidst the cold season.
Yet, even when a person lives in a place where there is a hot sun all year round, he may still choose to use a tanning bed instead of spending a day at the beach. One major reason for choosing indoor tanning over outdoor tanning is the precious thing called privacy. Even with the permissive society, some people are still uneasy wearing skimpy swimwear. If these people wear swimwear at all, the design is conservative. Thus, when exposed to the sun, they will have undesirable tan lines.
To avoid the tan lines, the best recourse a person can do is to lie naked under the sun. But the desire for privacy is so strong that the next best thing is to use a tanning bed. Indoor tanning provides the overall tan and the privacy.
Indoor tanning also gives psychological benefits. Aside from the increased confidence of knowing that a person looks good, he can also take the opportunity to have a break from the dizzying everyday bustle. While having the tanning session, he can stay away from cell phones and pagers. The tanning session can be one blessed, undisturbed twenty minutes of peace and warmth. Such a relaxing break will help reduce whatever stress a person is currently carrying on his shoulders. And after the tanning session, they will be more ready and invigorated to meet the demands of their work and social life.
This completely restful session cannot be achieved when one chooses to tan outdoors. There will always be people milling around and several strangers asking for directions!
