embracing paleness

I have never had a suntan and I love pale skin.

I use SPF 50 if I must be out in the direct sun like at South Beach.

If you have the muscles, you will know it.

Suntans and tanning beds are lethal. In fact, tanning beds should be illegal! I have heard that in the future this may happen.

Melanoma is on the rise in younger women and if you get this, consider it a death sentence at some point in the future unless caught very, very early.
 
Me too, fair skined (Irish-German heritage) with light hair. I also tried to be a tan person, but there just weren't enough freckles to connect into a tan. It's taken some time for me to embrace that tan skin is a sign of your skin trying to protect your body from those harmful rays, and now I think people who have tans look a little strange.

Comments, boy have I gotten the comments from people - kind of reminds me of a previous thread in which people make comments about weight without thinking. One woman, made the comment to me something along the lines of...wow, your skin is white. I was in grad school at the time and I think I said something like, you try writing a dissertation and see how much time you spend in the sun (that didn't come off as witty as I had hoped) Other people are a little bit more cleavor--wow, you are going to have amazing skin when you are older. I wish that were true.

Most recently, the girls at the club where I teach fitness classes convinced me that I should try a sunless spray on tan. It was free so I figured what the heck. The tan lasted about 3 days, but the brown tinge around my toe nails lasted longer. I thought it looked a little orangey on my skin and I didn't like that it rubbed off on some of my clothes. The funny part is I really could care less how white my skin is, but these girls definitely thought that a tan would make me look soooo much better. I think this is otherwise known as tanning peer pressure.

Hey look at Snow White she got the Prince in the end!

Keli
 
I embrace my paleness, and in fact, I think people look funny with a tan. It seems to me you sacrifice an awful lot just for some color! A friend of mine has been tanning faithfully year 'round since she was in high school (she's about 50 now). She was diagnosed with skin cancer a couple years ago and her skin doesn't look so pretty where they had to carve out the lesions, not to mention her leathery, wrinkly appearance. ;)
 
Yup, my sisters and I all have strawberry blone to reddish brown hair and the palest skin I have ever come across (our Irish heritage). From the time we were infants, our parents stressed the importance of staying out of the sun and sunsceen. My husband loves my pale skin and my sisters and I often get complimented on our "porcelin" skin. On the other hand, we also get insensitive comments on our lack of color. It may have bothered me more when I was younger, but I never tanned. It just wouldn't look right, and I have embraced my different and distinct look now. It is comforting to know that I will look years younger than others my age in the future!
 
I recently saw a neighbor I hadn't seen in about 30 years, and she said "you always had that beautiful alabaster skin". My skin has darkened over the years, and it took me awhile to admit it to myself and switch my foundation from "ivory" to a more medium color. I enjoyed having the snow-white skin with the jet-black hair because it was unique. Enjoy your paleness while you have it. Look at Nicole Kidman! Paleness is beautiful too. Enjoy it!
 
Count me in as another fair-skinned, blonde, blue-eyed forty-something who gets plenty of comments during the summer. I usually list the 4 people who I personally know who have died of melanoma, which shuts most people up quickly. It's hard to keep in mind, but in the not-so-distant future, we're all going to look GORGEOUS with our beautiful pale skin!!!
Paula
 
And another 40 something who is blond haired and pale skinned. My mom was a blond and my dad is red head - I was "doomed" from the start. LOL. I have "tanned" - but it took a lot of work, and I ended up more red-brown, than tan. So, I gave up. Now that I'm in my 40's, I'm getting comments like, "Wow, you're 43? You look like you in your early 30's!" Or "You have such nice skin!" Another thing that I think helps is that I always wear sun glasses.
 
Hi there all. I am a red head so I obviously am very fair, but I don't have any freckles. I do have a bit of Rosacea but otherwise I still,at 46, get comments about my nice skin. I am always surprised at them. I have a very good friend who tanned a lot in her teens and twenties, hated sunscreen, and is blonde and blue eyed. I don't know if there is any connection to the sun, but she now has Lymphoma. Thankfully, it is a low grade disease but I still worry that it could become aggressive....Prayers to you my bestest friend, April!

I long ago gave up on trying to get some colour and that ended up being a good decision. It is a little hard trying to find a good makeup colour to match my skin without being too pink or orange. Any recommendations? :)
 
Go to a good department store and try Laura Mercier or Bobbi Brown. Prescriptives also has a personalized line of foundations as well. Get some help with a perfect match, its the most important makeup item to get right.:)
 
I always wanted to be tan until my mom (who is always on vacation and super tan) and my aunt (who is allergic to the sun-she gets big white blotches on her skin) were out together one day, and someone assumed my aunt was my mom's daughter!

My mom is 61 and she has wrinkled, leathery skin. I'm glad I don't tan like her...

I'm pale, but oh well...I'll look better than my friends when we're older!

Alison
 
I think I'm as pale as they come, especially my legs. My left arm is a little darker from driving. My hubby always jokes that it ok because he can find me in a dark room!!! I do sometime feel self conscience about in the summer when everyone around me is blinded by the sun reflecting off my bare legs, but I mostly just ignore it. I burn like crazy and have no desire for skin cancer. So pale is what I am and what I will be. I did try one of the those tanning lotions that is supposed to work over a weeks time or so this summer. The gradual build up kind. I turned kinda orange-y and streaky and it made my skin all dry. Was NOT cute. I'll be pale instead of an Oompa-Loompa,


Nan
 
I am also very pale. In the summer I always have a desire to tan but I usually opt for some SPF 45 and remind myself that in the long run this is the better choice. I do use some limited self tanner on my legs I can't quite embrace my pale legs yet. Definately the older I get the easier it is.
 
i layed in the sun for 1.5 hrs todayx( i honestly think i have that tanning addiction thing going on. i really hate my skin and i've made it worse. i'm thinking that mabe i can psych myself out by laying out with spf 45. that way i'm in the sun but protecting my skin. once one stops tanning, will the skin repair itself at all??? is there some type of lotion i can get for my body?
 
I'm 40 and a redhead. Tanning has never been an option. What's funny (although at the time I was insulted) is I got asked if I was an albino this summer when I was hiking. It's amazing how ignorant people are.
I've only had one burn in my life, and I never want to get another one. I always use sunblock, even when it's raining.
I've had people argue with me that I'm younger than I say I am.
In University when people would bug me about not tanning I'd explain that my freckles are at war, when peace is declared I'll have a great tan.
The nice thing about pale skin and pale hair is I only need to shave my legs maybe three times all summer long.
 
I have blond hair, green eyes and fair skin. It does not bother me that I'm pale. I'm more of a fall/winter gal so I guess it's appropriate.
;)
 
You sound like me. Hate my pale skin, but just this past year I have learned to accept it and stopped obsessing about missing tanning outside because I was stuck in an office. Of course, I wear a suit everyday and I think part of the reason I am just giving up on the tan thing. But muscle just looks so good underneath tan skin! *tear*
 
Well, I'm another pale one here. I was much more self-concious when I was younger. I tried a few times (stupidly) to tan as a teenager, but ended up with horrible burns.

My mother died of melanoma 15 years ago and I've been wearing sunscreen faithfully ever since.

Sometimes I tease my husband and tell him I'm going to use a self-tanner so that I can see a liitle more definition. He says no way--he loves my red hair, green eyes and pale skin, says it looks exotic.
Go figure. Guys in highschool and college weren't really into my look, but when I found a guy who dug it, he really dug it.

Question: Why does the "definition" that comes with cellulite show up more with pale skin and muscle definition that I work so hard for show up less? It doesn't seem fair.

Maggie:p
 
i think some of my problem is that ALL of my family and friends think tan is beautiful and when they see someone pale they make comments. they are all avid tanners especialy my fiance' and his family (italians). its so stupid too, its like i'm ruining my skin to satisfy what others think is beautiful. my skin is VERY damaged. i'm of irish decent and i'm loaded with freckles but have lots of age spots and i even have wrinkles on my forearms when i bend my elbow. at 26 i'm going to be pretty scary at 50! mabe i should try one of those gradual tanners, the light skin one, to take the edge off my paleness. another thing is that i'm an avid fisherwoman. we are always on the boat so that means bikini which looks better tan. is there certain colors that look better with white skin?
 
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