Why do white people always try to get tans?

Question

are they trying to get like afro- americans. they should be happy with their own skin. not trying to be mean but, they are the main people that end with skin cancer and look old at a young age.

Answer 1

It is mostly a fashion thing it is in to have nice looking skin it means you get out and about. but back in the old days it was just the opposite i mean if you had very fair un tanned skin it meant that you were rich because you didn't work outside in the fields

Answer 2

I think white people "always try to get tans" because a little color looks healthy. People that are pasty white are usually associatted with being sick or sickly.

Not too may years ago, most people: white, brown, black, yellow, REALLY worked for a living. Like outdoors work, get your hands dirty, work. You spend time in the sun and you would have a tan, which meant you were able-bodied and could work, and healthy!

Now a days, most of those same people are indoors slaving away in front of a computer monitor, or inside talking on telephones and don't get the chance to be in the sun.

Skin cancer affects just about everybody no matter the color of their skin, and looking old at a young age is usually due to hard living: smoking, drinking, hard labor, etc.

Answer 3

Historically, fair white skin was prized because it showed the people having it to be of wealth and not needing to work outside a building for a living. Many times in history, white make-up was used to enhance this facial feature. At many times in history, women wore gloves and carried parasols to protect that special whiteness but when the bikini came into being and became accepted socially, that changed. Now, someone with a tan shows they have spare time to sun themselves, thus it is connected with wealth and health.

You are right about the wrinkles and skin cancer though, as a matter of fact, the World Post just did a piece on the fact that there is a sharp increase in skin cancer because people actually believe sun block protects them! It doesn't, it just blocks out the rays that tend to cause burns. Every time you get a sun burn, you up your chance of getting skin cancer by 5%. When you sun during the 10-4 hours of the day, you expose yourself to 30% more UV rays than anyone should! And, now that the ozone layer is damaged, even more damaging rays are let in!!! So.....long story short....forget money, wealth, social status or trends...take care of your skin and that of your children or risk DEATH! (A friendly message from your local Momma In Charge)

Answer 4

I don't try to get a tan unless I'm working outside doing yard work. I agree that there is too much skin cancer and you sure can tell how it makes the skin all leathery looking like an old boot.

Answer 5

Many feel that a nice tan makes their bodies look more attractive and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a fact that better looking people have greater opportunities available to them. Women of all races do various things to make themselves more attractive --- it's in their best interest to do so. Also there are various ways and alternative options to reduce the unfavorable ultraviolet rays of the sun such as sunscreen lotions and tanning salons. Not all Caucasians ALWAYS try to tan, many try to avoid too much sun which is wise.

Answer 6

Tanning evens out your tone of skin. So basically they feel the need to be all one color. People whom usually have fair skin dont always have one tone. If you look at them, they usually have slight pinkness in sum areas. So what they look for is a one tone look. Tanned skin also creates shadow and shows your curves or muscle definition alot more then when your completely fair. Naturally dark people, or if your like me and have a natural olive complexion dont see the point in tanning. So you just need to look at their perspective at why they do it.

Answer 7

I always wondered that to, the obession they have with it.
a lot of them seem to have low self esteem. They are always talking about taning(It doesn't even look good on them- it looks unnatural... a lot of the times orange like) , and ways to make them look like a magazine cover. It just seems pathetic. They need to start being happy with themseleves. Dark skin is very attractive, yes.. but white people need to start being happy with themseleves, and how they were born and stop trying to be something they are not, and will never be or have.

Side note, they do tend to look very old fast.

Answer 8

Many many years ago, when the Martin Luther King was still working toward civil rights my oldest friend (Black) lived in Chicago. During the summer when people would go up to the roof of his building to get some sun, he would go up too and the whites always wondered why a black man wanted to get a tan, so he took and empty bleach bottle and put water in it and took it with him to the roof. He got a lot of laughs.....and helped break the ice with his white neighbors to make friends.

Answer 9

Many people try to tan do to peer pressure. Today's society is very conceited. Most are considered pretty if they are tan and thin. Many people then strive for this perfection and eventually hurt themselves in the long run.

Answer 10

They're trying to look cool I guess. But they end up burning their skin and looking old.