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THE HISTORY OF SUNTANNING A Love/Hate Affair by Ruth G. Sikes Introduction It was over 400 years ago that Copernicus declared that the sun was the center of our
universe. Throughout history, the human race has had a special relationship with the sun.
Primitive societies in every continent have worshiped the sun as the god that provided
warmth and made the crops grow. The Sumerian sun-god was called Shamash, while the
Japanese called their sun goddess Amarterasu. In Egypt, the sun was an important component
of their religion and they worshiped the sun god Ra. In Mexico and Peru, monuments and
temples were built to honor the sun and to capture its rays. The monoliths of Stonehenge
appear to be a method of timekeeping based on the sun, and the mysterious statues of
Easter Island may have had a similar function. The sun played an important part in the culture and everyday life of Native Americans
-- the Anasazi Indians of New Mexico called the sun "Father" and worshiped it as
the giver of life; the Hopi feasted and prayed to the sun; the Plains Indians performed
sun dances; the Zuni word for life is "tekohanane", meaning daylight. There is
no aspect of the natural world around us which is not affected by the sun - fiddler crabs
change color on a sun-cycle schedule and even the lowly cockroach secretes a hormone in
response to light and darkness. Our personal behavior is affected as well - we may feel
better on sunny days and suffer from disorders that exist from the lack of sunlight. Given
the life-giving force of the sun, it is not surprising that humankind would seek out the
sun, knowing it as a life-giving force. After all, the Greeks did it, naming sunbathing
"heliotherapy" and believing it could cure certain illnesses. But cultures changed and class systems developed and the sun became a symbol of a
different kind, one that clearly defined who you were. Skin color became that visible definer - one that separated working classes from the
ruling classes, separated the master from his servants. Pale skin belonged to the leisure
upper classes, while darker skin indicated a life of outdoor labor. The paler one's skin
the higher the class, and men and women went to great (and sometimes unhealthy) lengths to
be pale. Women of ancient Greece and Rome used lead paints and chalks to whiten their faces.
Unfortunately this radical beauty treatment could cause death through slow lead poisoning.
By the mid10th century, arsenic became the preferred skin whitener, once again with
sometimes deadly results. Other methods of making the skin white were less poisonous --
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, women painted thin blue lines of their foreheads to
give their skin a translucent look, and carried parasols or wore masks whenever they
ventured outdoors. In France, fake beauty marks or patches were used by men and women to
emphasize the contrast to their pale skin. These class distinctions found their way to America, where no Southern belle or Northern society debutante dare go out in the sun without her parasol to protect her delicate pallor. It wasn't until the 20th century that society began accepting bronzed skin.
Blame it on the French Two French celebrities can be credited(or blamed) with the transformation from pale to
tan. In the 1920s, as fashions were freeing women from confining clothes, thanks in part
to designer Coco Chanel, she inadvertently gave the fashion world another new trend: while
cruising from Paris to Cannes aboard the Duke of Westminster's yacht, she obtained a
suntan, probably by accident. At the same time fashions were changing, so were lifestyles. Women came out of the
house to enjoy outdoor life, with hiking, picnics, lawn tennis and other
"acceptable" yet still "feminine" activities. Around the same time,
Parisians fell in love with caramel-skinned singer Josephine Baker. Emulating these two
French idols, fashionable women everywhere threw away years of tradition to be tanned. On beaches throughout Europe, women sunbathed, wearing decorative sun hats and shawls
not for protection but as fashion statements. Brown and beige-tinted powders and creams
were created to be brushed on the places the sun had missed. The fashion world featured
clothes for women who wanted to flaunt their new tans; shoes were worn without stockings
and sleeveless dresses became stylish. Bathing costumes that had covered women's legs with
bloomers, now bared the leg, and swimming became an acceptable sport for women. The suntan
had arrived...as the symbol of wealth and leisure. A tan in the winter meant the bearer
had enough money and status to afford a vacation to an exotic, warm climate. The Trend Continues By the 1940s, women's magazines encouraged sun tanning and cosmetics companies introduced suntanning oils. Bathing beauties were in style -- pin-up girls like Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth were pictured in one and two-piece bathing suits, showing off their tanned bodies. By the 1970s, an entire generation had baked their bodies in the sun, totally oblivious to the fact that the sunburns they had acquired in their youth would develop into skin cancers 10 to 20 years later. Recognizing the Dangers of the Sun It wasn't until 1979 that the FDA concluded that sunscreens could help prevent skin
cancer, and developed the first rating system for SPFs. In 1985, alarmed at the growing
incidence of skin cancer, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) became the first
medical society to start a public education skin cancer campaign, warning the public about
the dangers of over-exposure to the sun. In 1988, the AAD held a consensus conference on
photo aging and photo damage. The conclusion from that conference was that "there is
no safe way to tan." Indoor Tanning The indoor tanning industry first became popular in the 1970s and by the 1980s had
taken hold in America. Today between 18,000 and 20,000 salons are listed in the Yellow
Pages, claiming 22 million clients each year. Initially, salons were largely unregulated,
but due to pressure from the medical community, more than half the states in the U.S. and
several municipalities eventually passed legislation, making tanning salons safer, but by
no means "safe." Prolonged exposure to UVA and/or UVB are known contributors to
skin cancer and the medical community -- dermatologists and ophthalmologists -- continue
to due battle with the tanning industry over claims that indoor tanning is
"safe." Conclusion Today the skin cancer rates are still growing. In 1998 it is predicted
that 9,200 Americans will die from skin cancer, 7,300 from malignant melanoma. Yet despite
these alarming figures, men and women still enjoy the tanned look. Just look around you on
any warm summer day - you'll see them, the seekers of the sun. A 20th Century Look at Suntanning 1920s Josephine Baker, the popular American-born
performer takes Paris by storm. Coco Chanel acquires her famous suntan while vacationing
on the Duke of Westminster's yacht. Thousands of women throw away their parasols and
imitate the new fashionable tanned look. Brown and beige-tinted powders and creams are
created and designers introduce sleeveless dresses to show off the newly-acquired tans. Famous fashion photographer Cecil Beaton
describes the Duchess of Penaranda in the pages of Vogue magazine: "She wore sunburn
stockings with white satin shoes...the duchess's complexion matched her stockings, for she
was burned by the sun to a deep shade of iodine." Advertisements for cosmetic companies declare
that "It's glorious to be tan, golden of skin, bronze." 1929 The first comments that the sun might be harmful
come from Helena Rubenstein's ads that warn "sunburn menaces your beauty." Dr.
W.A. Evans of Chicago states that "maybe these tanned men and women are inviting
premature senility." Designer Jean Patou designs a swimsuit that is
cut "in such a fashion that not a fraction of possible tan is lost." 1935 The fashion world accepts both tanned and pale looks. Vogue magazine advertises white, cafe au lait and deep mahogany makeup. Vogue tells women that "by day be the color of burnt toast, then wash and become dramatically pale at night." 1945 PABA gains recognition, having been introduced
in 1943. Women's magazines suggest pre-tan "warmups" using a sunlamp. 1948 Fashion magazines are undecided about which look
is better -- pale or tan. Vogue says that "white skin looks cherished and positively
pretty, not merely and negatively unburnt." Other magazines encourage women to go out
in the sun without protection, and Elizabeth Arden advertises an oil guaranteed to produce
a suntan that looks "as sweet as buckwheat honey." 1950s Man-Tan is the first self-tanning product to hit
the market. The sunless tan it produces is brown, beige or sometimes even orange. Women's magazines suggest that gradual tanning
cancels out the harmful skin-damaging effects of the sun. 1954 Harper's Bazaar reports that "there are
sunscreen preparations that can cut the intensity of the sun's rays by 75 percent." 1960s Dark tanned skin is a status symbol and
suntanning becomes an art form. Baby oil is the tanning product of choice, often
mixed with iodine. Johnson's Baby Oil boasts the tan, romantic heroine in their ads, but
also warns that she should "take a little less sun." The indoor tanning industry starts to develop. The FDA treats sunscreens as OTC drugs, not
cosmetics, and applies more stringent labeling requirements. 1978 The FDA declares sunscreens to be safe and
effective and concludes that they can help prevent skin cancer, slow down premature aging
of the skin and prevent sunburn. The SPF numbering system (2 through 15) is introduced. 1980s Home tanning units emit high levels UVB light
that burns the skin and doesn't tan, contributing to skin cancer and premature wrinkling.
The tanning industry continues to grow, but is unregulated, with little regard to safety.
Professional units emit both UVB and UVA rays and can cause sunburn. 1985 The first public education program about the
dangers of overexposure to the sun is introduced by the American Academy of Dermatology
(AAD). The sunscreen industry starts producing
sunscreens with higher SPFs. A survey conducted by the AAD reveals that
Americans are still in love with the sun even though they know of its dangers - 96% admit
to knowing that the sun causes skin cancer, yet one-third of the adults in the survey say
they deliberately work on a tan. 1988 According to the American Cancer Society, more
than 500,000 Americans will develop skin cancer. Self-tanning products are improved and offer
safe, natural-looking tans without streaking or discoloration. The sunscreen industry begins offering products
that provide protection against UVA as well as UVB radiation. 600,000 new cases of skin cancer will be
diagnosed - 27,600 of them malignant melanoma. There will be 6,300 deaths from melanoma
and 2,500 deaths from squamous cell carcinoma. It is predicted that one person in 90 will
develop skin cancer by the year 2000. 1991 1,800 injuries are reported from tanning
devices, the majority occurring in those between the ages of 15-24. Most indoor tanning
patrons are women, the average age of 26. One to two million people are considered
"tanning junkies," visiting tanning parlors about 100 times per year. Feminists enter the sun protection fray. Author
Naomi Wolf disagrees with the experts and writes, in her controversial book, The Beauty
Myth, that "the discovery of photo aging has created a phobia of the sun entirely
unrelated to the risk of skin cancer..." She claims that this phobia is cutting the
bonds between women and the natural world, "turning nature into a fearsome enemy from
the male tradition's point of view." She goes on to say that "the beauty myth
stimulates women's fears of looking older in order to drive us in the opposite direction:
indoors once more...the proper place for women in every culture that most oppresses
us." 1993 There will be 700,000 new cases of skin cancer
diagnosed, 32,000 of them malignant melanoma. 1996 In spite of all the education and all the
warnings, younger Americans still seek out a suntan. In a survey of young adults under 25,
58% confess to working on a tan, and of the 1,009 surveyed, 62% say that they think people
look better with a tan. Skin cancer prevention seems to be losing ground
- in an AAD survey, there a 9% increase in sunburns, from 30% in 1986 to 39% in 1996, and
fewer people are minimizing sun exposure (23% in 1986, 19% in 1996). 1997 In a survey in Seventeen magazine, 2/3 of the
teens say they look better with a tan and feel healthier, more sophisticated, and 50% say
they looked more athletic. There are between 18,000 and 20,000 tanning
salons in America boasting 22 million customers per year. There are 27 states and several
municipalities that have rules and regulations for tanning salons. 1998 A report from the Annual Meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science questions the value of sunscreens, leading to
national publicity. Some products promising UVA and UVB protection do not protect
adequately against UVA and may give sunbathers a false sense of protection, the report
says. The AAD continues to urge Americans to use
sunscreens, avoid sunbathing and cover up. |
Copyright © 1998
NORMAN M PRICE, MD
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