I am fair, lots of freckles, so this is a topic close to my heart. First of all, never, ever been in a tanning bed, never would. Their safety, esp. with regards to fair skin, is very suspect. A close second is that everyday I wear a face cream with an SPF of at least 15, have since I was 25. Otherwise do what makes you happy. There are so many self-tanning products on the market which give you a light, gradual tan (that also include an SPF), and in the summer I do use these, because, I have to admit, I do like a little color. Tan or not, skin that is well taken care of and well groomed is always in fashion.

I embraced the pale years ago. When I was younger, I didn’t like hot weather, didn’t like laying out, and if I did get some tan it was streaky and I just looked dirty. I have dark brunette hair, green eyes and pigmented lips, so I think I just look better pale. I have been wearing sunscreen religiously since the late 80s. Now I look much younger than I am and I credit that in majority to staying out of the sun.

Still, I had blistering sunburns as a child, so I am quite paranoid about sunscreen. I get checked by the derm every year even though I don’ t have many moles. I wear hats in the sun and have for years. I’m glad that the current generation of kids are slathered from birth and hopefully they won’t have skin cancer. But I nearly freaked when I saw the first little freckles on my 4 yo DS’ nose. (He is darker complexioned than me).

All that said, with age comes veins. This year I’m trying some of that glow lotion on my legs for camo. They finally make one for fair skins, so hopefully it won’t be orange. If I didn’t have such blue veins (showing right through the white skin) I wouldn’t care that my legs are white.

So Angie, I’m with you on this one. And to quote Frank Zappa, “You are what you is.” I think everyone should embrace their natural look – fair, dark, straight, curly, short, tall – whatever.

Shari

During my childhood, my father taught me that my pale skin would make me more vulnerable to sunburn and skin cancer and I am grateful for those lessons. Knowing that I am keeping my skin healthy for the long haul, I stay as pale as possible. My freckles still pop out in May, I figure they give me all the color I need. I remember going to a pool in the early 80’s and seeing a woman who was as brown as a chocolate bar. I asked her how she got that dark, her response was “butter”. I wonder what she looks like today…

I embrace my pale, Irish complexion. I will occasionally use the self tan lotion if I’m going somewhere tropical and want to pretend that I have a tan, but 90% of the time I am pale, pale, pale and use sunscreen religiously on my face. I look at my 60 year-old mother who looks about 20 years younger than her younger sister (a frequent tanner) and I know that any uptick in style quotient now will be repaid in wrinkles later.

Angie, I do think you look wonderful with your peaches and cream skin, just as it is. But, for those of us who don’t have such lovely skin, I’m all for a little help. I do use a gradual, very mild tanner on my legs during the summer. Helps with all the blue veins standing out against the white blotchy skin.

It seems like every summer I see more of the two-toned body- you know, where the girl has tanned her legs a dark orange-brown and left the rest of herself pale. Not a good look.

I have always been really pale (redhead!). I pick up a little glow in the summer, and I enjoy it and even cultivate it occasionally. It covers up the purpleness my skin gets when I get cold, and I feel comfortable in less makeup when I’ve had some sun. Then I get glow-in-the-dark white again in the winter. I use lotion when I’m going to be out in the sun for more than an hour, but I can’t bring myself to use it religiously like many people I know. The idea of slathering up every day just doesn’t appeal to me, and I use the new reports about sunscreen causing cancer as my excuse Moderation and balance in all things, right?

I’m naturally on the fair side (can we say transparent??) and for the most part I really don’t mind.
I use a bit of self tanning lotion starting around this time of year because my legs aren’t pretty white like Angies. I have scars and some varicose veins and a wee bit of color goes a long way. I tan very easily, so it doesn’t look unnatural. I think a nice sunny glow looks healthy, but super dark tans look very unhealthy to me. I use lotion daily on my skin anyway, so switching to Jergens Sunless tanning doesn’t really put a kink in my style.
I wear sunscreen religiously and visit my doctor once a year to have my skin checked.

With society’s preference for tanned skin, your posts are indeed refreshing! I’m in my 50’s, and during my youth to early-adult years, I was ignorant of the damage caused by the sun. As, soon as that info was more widely known, I immediately changed my tanning habits. Now, after 30 years of religious sunscreen use, my skin looks really good. My younger sister, who still embraces the sun, has much older looking skin.

My friends still insist that tanned fat just looks better!!??

I’m also very fair, but since my skin has a yellow, almost olive cast to it, I still look like I have “colour”, and I don’t mind. One of my best friends, on the other hand, has very pale, porcelain skin, and hates it. I am always trying to keep her from self-tanning, but she thinks she looks like a zombie without a little extra colour.

About sunscreen, I also wear a high SPF (50+) daily. However, I also make sure that any sunscreen I wear has a high PPD rating, as well. Though most sunscreens are labeled “broad-spectrum”, many people do not know that the SPF number only relates to the protection from UVB rays (the ones that burn and cause cancer). There are separate rating systems for the UVA rays, which are the ones that can contribute to premature wrinkling, and age spots. Call me vain, but I’d like to protect against that, too!

I’m so pale the during my pregnancy my friends joked that an ultrasound would be unnecessary, all the doctor would have to do is look at my belly to see the baby. I too accepted my paleness in my adulthood and have just tried to learn to love it and protect it so no self tanners for me. That said, I do still love something about the look and feel of a touch of sun/color on my skin and feel a tiny bit disappointed if some color doesn’t sneak past my sunscreen when I’m on vacation.

I use a self tanner. It evens out the skin tone and freckles

I posted that I used it today..

http://fashionafterforty.blogs.....-glow.html

well, like Angie, i am VERY pale and have issues about it – i also grew up by the beach and was teased all the time because of my super white skin. I also have veiny legs and shorts just don’t look great. I have started to use a very natural self tanner that i read about in InStyle magazine called Jergens Natural Glow foaming moisture for fair to medium skin tones and it really looks quite natural. It isn’t orange at all, just a bit darker than my really ghostly skin. that way, when i am at the pool or in shorts i am not as shocking!

With a white mom and a Mexican dad, I guess I kind of have the best of both worlds. My skin is quite fair but I can tan. However, like Angie, I worry about the health impacts of tanning. I don’t have the patience for the upkeep needed for self-tanning and then there’s that fake orange color that makes me cringe.

In any case, I used to fuss a little about being pale until I spent a couple months in Hong Kong. The women there go out of their way to stay light and even go so far as to use lightening creams. It really shone a light on the power of culture mores and gave me the perspective to challenge the ones I had been harboring.

Great topic, Angie. I did my share of skin damage when I was growing up, but in the past 10 years I’ve been staying away from the sun as much as I can for health reasons. So I use sun-block on my face daily and I don’t go out in the sun between 10am and 5pm. I’ve accepted that I will have white legs for the rest of my summers. I have not tried a self-tanning lotion, nor am I interested in any form of self tanning.

What do you think of parasols? I’ve been thinking of getting one, but I do wonder if I will look ridiculous carrying one. They do shield you from sun.

In the winter, I look very fair, but in summer I do get a light tan. Because of that, I haven’t been as careful as I could have been in my younger days. I think my skin is in pretty good condition, but I know people with fairer skin have less wrinkles because of their diligence.

I have also heard conflicting reports about the safety of the chemicals in sunscreen, and also how it can prevent good Vitamin D exposure. I guess I should be looking for a cute hat. I always am one to seek out the shade.

Actually, having a daughter with beautiful creamy skin is making me more aware, since I want her to wear a hat outside, I should too.

I am pale also- and I no longer care about tanning-only about protecting myself. sometimes I put self tanner on my legs.
b/c I have a pre-schooler that I run around with mainly outdoors- I inevitably pick up some color-but I try to be mindful of it for me, and him!

Been around the block on this one. Was diagnosed with a severe Vit D deficiency 6 months ago. In addition to taking high dose of prescribed Vit D, I researched tanning beds as another source to get my body to produce it’s own Vit D. In so researching, I found out that tanning beds have come a long way since their introduction years ago. Time to update our thinking–to match technology and research. I now use a 3% UVB tanning bed several times a week–not for the looks, but for health reasons. Vit D is so important. Lack of it can contribute to a whole host of severe health conditions–including but not limited to MS, cancer, depression. I’ve also read there is new evidence that suggests we’ve gone overboard on sunscreens–completely blocking out the suns rays is not desireable. Sunscreens block your body’s ability to produce its own Vit D. Courtney also brings up a very important point about the cancer causing agents in many lotions. Your skin is the largest organ–it absorbs whatever you put on it. We need to be mindful, not to dip ourselves in chemicals. I’m sticking to this advice–if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin. For more information on these debate…check out Mercola.com. Many articles on sun, Vit D, tanning beds, lotions etc. Personally, I think–what can be more natural than getting a little sun? Obviously frying yourself in baby oil isn’t a good idea, but a 20 minute dose of sun a couple times a week will increase your bodies production of Vit D. I can think of no better style quotient than being healthy. Let the sunshine in!

My blue-eyed blond mother tans like a chestnut along with my brother and sister. My dark haired, dark eyed dad burns in minutes -guess who I take after! Part of me would love to have that beach girl look but the reality is that my style is much more urban anyway. Though now it does make me wonder if I would have cultivated the urban street look if I had had darker skin and lighter hair? Hmmmm….

The first thing that popped into my mind upon reading Angie’s post was what Joey is mentioning … we’ve all done such a good job of wearing sunscreen and staying away from prolonged sun exposure that many people are now Vitamin D deficient. It’s crazy! I am thinking of sitting in the sun a bit more this summer. For the past 15 years, I’ve been very good about avoiding the sun. Vitamin D has lots of benefits and NOT having enough can cause lots of problems.

Like anything, it seems you need a healthy, moderate dose of sunshine.

I embrace the pale primarily. I have used the gradual self tanning lotions on legs (as others have noted – it can camo the veins) but mostly for vacation weeks. Too high maintainence to do these things all the time.

Embrace that milky completion! I think about going in the sun and get a tan, but I am moley (doctor’s official term) and I have a lot of sun damage from my former beach bunny days. I was born to be fair skinned but cursed with the ability to tan, so I neglected to take care of my skin.
Anne Hathaway is my fair skinned role model.

The summer when I was 12 I was determined to get a tan and darken up my pasty skin, so I spent multiple hours a week lying around in the sun in a single-digit SPF. At the end of the summer I was so proud of the beautiful color that my skin had become, however that euphoria was short lived. On the first day of school a friend with naturally tan skin remarked that I looked like I had spent the entire summer indoors! I showed her my tan lines and she retracted her statement, but I learned a very valuable lesson: I will never be tan no matter how hard I try so why waste my time and contract skin cancer to become what I will never be? I’m better off putting my efforts into aspects of my appearance that I can control.

I’m pale and proud! My only quandary arises when I’ve been biking a few months and have acquired a farmer’s tan … I should really slather on the sunscreen to avoid that, but never seem to remember.

I learned to accept my natural color. I’m very pale, and don’t tan easily. Actually different parts of my body have more peaches and cream color than others, and it doesn’t seem to depend on the level of sun exposure. For example, my tummy which never sees the sun is more yellow than my legs.

My skin also reacts badly, I’m covered in hundreds of moles, and get more every year. Plus I already had very serious problems. I became diligent about sunscreen in my 20s, and looking back, I was using sunscreens which were not protective enough (I second what Ele said about broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection). And as a child I was actually encouraged to tan. Thankfully I lived in a place which doesn’t get very strong sun, so at least that’s something.

I do like the look of light self tanner on my legs, but gave up on it after two years. I just don’t want to bother with applying it evenly on my whole body to avoid weird mismatches.

For those of you who use sunscreen on your bodies, do you find that it stains clothes?

I haven’t left the house without SPF on at least my face since my late 20s. I would rather be pale than sunburned. I don’t really tan – I just turn red. I doubt self-tanners would be any different. I am convinced I am not meant to be tan.

With that said, I do think there’s merit in getting a dose of sun daily for vitamin D benefits, especially if you live in a northern climate. I can’t prove there is a correlation but it seems that my back pain seems to always rear up in the late winter, and disappear in the summer. I’ve wondered if there is a vitamin D correlation. Also getting some sun is great to keep my psorasis at bay.

So I will go out for a short walk in the early morning or afternoon with sunscreen on my face and neck, but my arms and legs bare. Or wait 10 minutes on the beach before applying sunscreen. This strategy usually ensures I don’t burn. If I do burn, I take that as a sign I’ve overdone it.

And I wear a bandana over my head because there’s nothing worse than a burned scalp. Yech.

I’m loving these GREAT responses. Interesting and insightful, ladies. Thank you. And as always, some of you crack me up.

I guess I’m in the minority with not applying ANY self tanning lotion to any part of my body. I apply lotion daily and it wouldn’t take up extra time if I applied a bit of colour instead. Perhaps it has to do with staying away from the beach. If I frequented a poolside or beach, I might consider self tanning lotion again. But for the moment I am happiest in my natural pale state.

As far as the safety of tanning beds, tanning in the sun and sunscreen lotions go, at the end of the day you have to go with what your intuition tells you. There will always be arguments for and against doing something and scientific research changes all the time. As with these arguments: drinking eight glasses of water a day, the use of so called natural products on your skin, and eating organic food – it’s all about picking a side and making the argument work for you. Being vitamin D deficient is the latest healthy buzz and I’m all for increasing it in my diet, AND taking in a bit of real sun! I love the warmth of the sun on my skin and 100% believe that 5 to 10 minutes of soft, direct sunlight a day is healthy. But I too am very mole-y (covered in moles), and my Dermatologist advises against the sun at all costs, unless I am fully protected. So, in some cases it’s also a question of picking the lesser of two evils. That’s why I feel you have to pick a side and deal with the consequences.

I, too, am very pale, and like Shiny, I don’t tan, no matter how much time I spend in the sun. I tried a tanning bed long ago…and that didn’t even work. I just turn red, and then my skin promptly goes back to pale. I used to use the gradually building self tanners, but I just don’t like any of them. There’s always some sort of smell.

I wear sunscreen on my face religiously, but I often take walks without any extra sunscreen on my body, so I do get some sun, but it doesn’t usually affect my color. I’m self-conscious about it, but it’s too much bother to try to change.

I have always been incredibly pale. There will be times during the summer, if I’m out a lot, that I will turn pinkish or I’ll get a little bit of melanin building up in my skin on my arms and face, but it’s rare.

I appreciate my paleness, and do what I can to maintain it, wearing sunscreen (now that I’ve found some I’m not allergic to) and avoiding a lot of the sunlight (this began because of the sudden allergic reactions I had… to sunlight… for a long period). It works out well for me.

As to the wearing dresses, skirts, and shorts – I don’t. I wore shorts one day in the entirety of 2008, and I wore a dress once, and a skirt once. That was it, in the entire year. I’ll wear them at home – inside, with the blinds drawn. It’s not because I’m pale, but because of the massive stretch marks the entire way down my legs. They kind of ruin the mood of a cute skirt or shorts.

Otherwise, I love the paleness.

Angie, you mentioned you use SPF 40 on your fac and hands. I’ve looked for an SPF that high that can be used on my face, but all that I’ve found tend to be greasy. May I ask which brand you’ve found?

I’ll third the comments above about getting broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Zinc oxide seems to be the best ingredient on the market for doing this.

I am very fair-skinned and burn easily. It means I have to work extra-hard at preventing breakouts, because acne on my face looks like someone tapped me with a paintbrush. Gross. When that’s under control–and it usually is these days, thank goodness–I actually really like the look. A light dusting of blush and I’m good to go.

I am naturally very pale. I use tanning beds occasionally, just long enough and often enough to keep me from looking pasty. (That would be maybe twice a month.) I think that timed, measured, occasional exposure in a tanning bed is better for me than burning pasty skin when I do go to the beach (even with high SPF sunscreen).

When I first started tanning, the comments I got were that I looked healthy (I guess that shows how pale I really was). Now when I mention tanning beds, people are shocked that I go…so I’m obviously not overdoing it. Some of the other people I see at the tanning salon are another story…no one is naturally that dark, and I do wonder about the health of their skin.

Another consideration…

My parents have had many procedures for skin cancer. Since my skin also has excessive numbers of moles, my Dermatologist actually advised me to take inexpensive Vitamin D supplements to protect against a deficiency.

I like my pale skin! I think tanning beds are scary, and being in the sun just makes me burn (even with sunscreen). I’ll take pale over red any day.

It’s a personal aesthetic, but to me (deliberately) tanned skin looks like skin cancer in the making. Clearly this isn’t a universal feeling, though – I’ve actually had passing strangers yell at me to get a tan.

I’m very fair skinned but I also have large-ish calves so I think skirts and dresses look better on me with a bit of self-tanner. I seek out the “light” tones in self tanners, and prefer the gradual lotions to one-time application tanners.

For the rest of my body, particularly my face and chest, I obsessively apply SPF 30+ every single day of the year. On weekends, I apply sunscreen beofre I even head downstairs for coffee, because I know it’s likely I will wander outside into the garden before I head back up to shower.

I also have quite a wide-brimmed hat collection.

I’m in my mid forties now, and I’ve been on the sunscreen bandwagon since my early twenties. It may be heredity, but I have fewer wrinkles than most of my friends.

I am naturally pale, but I do tan easily (tan for me is not that dark). I like in the summer-time to have a nice glow. I put on sunscreen every day (body lotion and face moisturizer), but I love to be in the sun, so I tend to tan anyway. I will never be dark, and I am perfectly happy being pale. I won’t go to a tanning bed or to any extremes to be dark. I think my natural color is just fine.

I have porcelain-colored skin; I’ve had a few experiences from growing up that helped me love my skin and protect it. Today I don’t want to try tanning beds or sprays, and know how to shop for colors that work for me in makeup and clothing.

When I first started to wear makeup, my mother took me to a department store to try some different products. Many times the lightest shade of foundation or tinted moisturizers sold at makeup counters would be too beige or yellow for me. During my teen years I tried to make my skin darker to make the makeup work for me (if there wasn’t makeup light enough for me that meant I was abnormally pale, right?). I tried tanning beds for two weeks because I tried to make my skin look good in colors I wanted to wear – particularly a pastel mint green prom dress. After a few sessions a week for two weeks my skin never tanned in those beds, and I had never tanned before in my life, so I realized “I am what I am” and quit my tanning membership. I embraced the color of my skin. I started to feel pleased when the makeup consultants at the departments couldn’t find a shade light enough for me – and tried to tell me I’d tan a bit in the summer so I could buy this darker shade. It felt wonderful to say glibly, “Oh, I wear sunscreen all the time and I have never tanned. I’ll have to try another makeup line I guess, but thank you for your input!”

Both of my parents have since been diagnosed with some sort of skin cancer from sun exposure, so I’ve started to wear sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection daily on my face and hands, and anywhere else exposed, even in the Pacific NW winter. I feel good knowing that I am taking care of my skin from a young age (my early twenties).

Angie, your information on sunscreen, skin care, positive self image and ways to make black, white, and different colors work for fair complexions has been enormously helpful. I know I’ve gotten it right when someone loves a color on me or complements my good skin; I used to get “Wow, you’re white” or “Are you okay? You look tired or sick” when I wore colors that weren’t flattering. Thank you for being an advocate for the Porcelain People!

Isn’t life ironic. While the women here in the western world are all falling all over themselves to get a tanned complexion, the women in India are constantly being bombarded with skin whitening and bleaching products. It seems like no one is happy with whatever skin color they have, and I find that very depressing.

I can personally see benefits to all skin tones from the fairest, porcelain skin to the deepest ebony. I wouldn’t change a thing about my own skin tone or anyone else’s.

Tanya2, I’ve tried Neutrogena’s AgeShield products – it’s effective (and available in many SPF ranges), long-lasting, dry to the touch, and works well with makeup. I believe Angie listed her favorite products here:

http://youlookfab.com/2007/04/.....he-sticky/

I never tan! I love my pale skin and wear sunscreen religiously, even in winter. Not only is excessive sun exposure (or even worse, tanning bed exposure) bad for your skin, I don’t see why I would want to change my colouring. I am happy with my skin. I never use self-tanners, either–again, why change the color that I’m happy with? Who says pale skin isn’t lovely? Not me!

I am extremely pale. Everyone always tells me I am as white as a ghost and why don’t I got outside and get some sun. I can’t tan though… My skin turns red for 1 day and goes right back to white. I don’t gain any darkening throughout the summer. I’m always pale. And i hate self-tanning lotions. They just don’t work…

So I stay au natural but I don’t like it!!!!!

I do not find the need to tan, nor self-tan. I’ve never used self-tanning products and for the last 10 years have become quite sun phobic (this after having a top-less JEEP in college). I don’t even like to feel the sun on my bare skin.

This is quite a feat having small children and a pool in TX. All my friends laugh at me as I require my children to wear long-sleeve Australian sharksuit swimshirts, and I wear one also. With a big hat to boot.

Oh well, it may be goofy, but it has become my signature summer-time look.

Being 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 Irish, I am lucky that my Asian genes allow me to tan easily. Although I used to “lay out” to tan in my teens and 20s, now, I just get the tan that comes from being outside. I do put “tan in a can” on my legs in the winter. I love the look of my tan. I rarely wear sunscreen and if I do, it’s minimal spf (like 8). I also do not wear makeup. I’m 54 and have few wrinkles and decent looking skin. I am perhaps living on borrowed time.

I don’t ardently pursue a tan, but if I get one, I’m not all upset. I find it interesting that the palies are the ones who mostly are responding. Guess us tanners are a little ashamed of our indulgent ways.

LauraElizabeth mentioned the Neutrogena Age Shield products. I also wanted to point out that Neutrogena Age Shield makes a hand cream with 30 SPF. In the past I have neglected my neck and hands when using sun protection and I feel my skin shows it’s age more in those places.

I also use moisturizers with 15-30 SPF every day depending on the season but make sure I use a moisturizer without SPF at bedtime.

I grew up 20 minutes from Santa Cruz , so I have seen my share of sun burns in my youth, however I stay pale in the winter and naturaly tan up a bit in the summer. I don’t use any sun block. I don’t fry myself anymore so I don’t feel the need for it…I can take a fair amount of the sun and not burn. Being 1/2 Italian helps…but my German Irish mother always tanned beautifully.

I guess this is more about being comfortable in our own skin, no matter what color it is.

Kim , I have a girlfriend who is 1/2 Japanese, she doesn’t wear/need makeup, and looks tan year round . She has such beautiful skin…very few lines for 52. You lucky girls!!

I am fair-skinned as well and consider it a civic duty to use self-tanner. I would not go out in public in a dress or shorter skirt without tanner on my legs for fear of blinding someone. That said, I keep it to a golden glow. Nothing too dark. I use sunscreen year around on my face and on every other exposed part during the summer. There are loads of good self-tanners on the market that give a natural-looking tan. We’ve come a long ways since the streaky days of long ago. That’s good news for us fair gals.

Maya, hehe, I know exactly what you are you talking about – when I was younger, all the Indian girls were buying up lightening creams to look paler. I had extremely sensitive skin so I was so sad because I could never use them. As a teenager, I actually went through a phase where I was completely allergic to the sun (and nearly all facial/cosmetic products except vaseline!) – even 5 minutes of exposure would make my face swell up and burn & peel. Luckily that phase passed but I am still prone to burning occasionally & am now concerned about age spots & hyperpigmentation.

I wear hats often & use SPF 40 – La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios. It actually has one of the highest ppd’s on the market (so UVA & UVB protection) and uses a patented chemical sunscreen ingredient (meroxyl) that is way better than the more commonly found oxobenzone/avobenzone or octinoxate in photostability. Of course it is some crazy chemical and I would probably be better off with a physical sunscreen like zinc oxide but it leaves a horrible white cast on us darker skinned people!

Mercola is a quack so I would be careful about reading too much into his website. If you are concerned about safety in cosmetic/skin-care products, check out Toxic Beauty (http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Be.....933771623).

I am worried about Vitamin D deficiency. The darker your skin is, the more sun exposure you need to produce adequate Vitamin D. I wear sunscreen on my face, neck & chest and usually skip my arms & legs.

I have naturally fair skin and stay pale year round. I used to get tan in the summer as a child so I know I can tan if I want to. But after getting sunburned a couple of times when I was 10-11 years old, I never wanted to repeat the experience, plus there’s the issue of aging and skin cancer. I wear moisturizer with SPF 15 and wear hats, sunglasses, and long sleeves outside. To add some color to my face I use a little powder blush. I think my precautions are paying off because I went for a facial the other day, and the lady told me that it was very unusual for a woman in her 30s to have no sign of wrinkling or crow’s feet whatsoever. I also like to be able to wear low necked tops without worrying about sun-damaged chest skin.

Danja:In the hotter countries of Asia, many women use their regular rain umbrellas as parasols. Over there it’s not considered odd at all. I’ve done it here in the US a couple of times and yes, people stared at me, but it’s a small price to pay for being comfortable in the shade instead of hot, sweaty, and cranky in the sun.

Au natural works for me – and I’m extremely fair. I learnt, like you, not to fight what you can’t change. Plus I think it looks great, even with pale legs in skirts.

I have fully accepted the fact that I am part vampire and will disintegrate if I expose my skin to the sun.

Plus, being absolutely vigilant about protecting your skin means that you get to wear big, beautiful sun hats all throughout the summer.

Shana, whenever I would go to India, I always got all kinds of praise for being “fair” (even though in the US I’m considered dark!). It was very silly. I guess I am lucky that I have a perfectly medium skin tone–neither very dark nor very light. As for skin products, I will use an SPF moisturizer on my face but that’s it. I’m not adamant about it, but I’ll do it if I remember. I should probably start doing my chest and neck too.

I was a sun goddess before we knew better. Now, with every new wrinkle I rue the day. My brother is a melanoma survivor. Because I am very fair, I am very careful. The AZ sun is brutal. That said, I’m off for a week in Hawaii. I LOVE the beach, but you can be sure that I will be covered with La Roche Posay sunscreen and a hat at all times.

P.S. I no longer love the tanned look. A slight bit of color is pretty, but when fair skinned people overdo it (especially the over 40 crowd), tanning looks dated and very ’80s, in my opinion.

Well, I’m pale and proud of it. As a child, I got a few burns – one that blistered my back after only 10 minutes in the sun…in northern Canada — and that ended my suntanning career. I tried a bit to tan as a teenager but it never worked and after that I never tried again. I also never tried to self tan either. I’m a pale redhead. Frankly, I just looked dirty even with bronzer.

So, my skin has barely seen the sun in over 30 years. I always wear a hat and sunglasses when outside and have very strong physical sunblocks to avoid the problems with chemical sunscreens. But in my doctor’s risk assessment, she felt the chances I would get skin cancer from the sun were far higher than the chances I would develop problems even with chemical blocks. Most people, no matter how much they avoid the sun, get enough sun to produce Vitamin D…however, my doctor put me on vitamin d pills and of course, I drink my vitamin D fortified milk.

And yet…I recently developped a small pre cancerous mole on my neck. It was easily removed and I get regular body checks.

Women come in all types of beautiful skin colours, and we should all enjoy what we have!

I attempted to tan (slightly) when I was in my teens, but around the time I turned twenty I decided that it was too much trouble. Tanning beds felt creepy (I tried it exactly once), sunless tanner smelled funny and stained my clothes AND required daily application, and I was too prone to burning to go outside without sunblock. Plus, I have awful skin anyway, so I may as well give it as much TLC as I can. I’m glad that so many naturally pale-skinned women are going without tans, too – makes me a little less ashamed to bare my pale legs all summer. I’ve also learned that I can wear *some* of the bold colors that look great on darker-skinned ladies as long as I pick the right shade for myself, so I’m having more fun playing with my complexion than I used to.

I’m curious about what kind of sunscreen most of you like? I usually use Neutrogena’s Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch sunblock (especially on my face.) I like that even SPF 55 isn’t too greasy or heavy to use as a base for my makeup.

I used to be self-conscious about my pale skin, but I’ve learned to fully accept it. I still like darker toned skin and sometimes wish it didn’t look like I hide in a cave all summer, but I’m no longer self-conscious about it. I try to wear colors that complement my skin tone, like turquoise.

May is Melanoma Awareness Month. You can make a difference. Schedule an appoinment with a friend today to see a dermatologist for a skin exam, it could really save your life. Each person you convince to stop using tanning beds, is a life you could be saving. Aqua Tan is the healthy alternative for a GORGEOUS GLOW! They are running a special this month. Send them the email address of anyone you can convince to stop using tanning beds and they’ll send you a 5% off coupon. You can sign the tanning bed petition in their on-line Skin Cancer Resource Center. As a SPECIAL THANK YOU for helping save lives they are extending a 10% discount to customers. Just Enter Coupon Code: ISAVELIVES at check out. http://www.aqua-tan.com.

I leave my skin as it is, but I don’t use a lot of sun protection. I’m naturally dark-haired, practically black-haired, and even though my skin is as pale as if I were born a blonde, I never get sunburn.
Of course, when I go to some place tropical, I use sunscreen, but not in the mild climates.

I think this whole vitamin D thing is bunk. Compare that to the articles saying you have to use one ounce of sunscreen to really cover yourself or the SPF can be half of what is advertised, and that you have to reapply every few hours. And don’t forget that some UV rays can penetrate clothes. Even if we are careful we aren’t blocking all of the sun 100% of the time. Unless you have been diagnosed with a real deficiency, I think the rest of us still get enough sun. JMHO.

I’m super pale. I really don’t mind, though, except when trying to find cosmetics like concealer & foundation that are light enough. Or, when trying to find clothes that are bright but that don’t look too overpowering on me.

I try to stay out of the sun, which isn’t hard seeing as I’m a night owl and bit of a homebody. Also, I have good motivation since I burn instead of tanning, I swear I get another mole every time I spend time in the sun, and skin cancer is pretty common in my family,

Fortunately, I do use sunblock more often now that I found that I like Neutrogena’s line which isn’t too smelly or greasy. I try to apply it when I know I’ll be out in the sun for a while, but not really every day.

I used sunless tanners before, but they make me look too orange and/or dirty. Same goes with bronzers. Too much trouble anyhow. Oh well.

I too am pretty pale and WAY too lazy for self-tanner. Besides, I don’t even really care for the look of a tan. However, I just looked down at my legs and they look dreadful, all mottled and red! What?! Maybe I need to look into the lotion.

I like Neutrogena Sensitive Skin sunblock (the kind based on titanium dioxide–just strikes me as safer than chemical sunscreens). The SPF 30 is not too greasy. There’s a new SPF 60 that feels a bit icky but I would resort to it if I planned to be outdoors for hours.

I’d be a liar if I said I don’t dream of being a bronzed goddess from time to time, but for the most part I embrace my pale skin!

I am so proud of you for loving who you are! That said – I wish that I could be the same way. I never go bare-legged. I really don’t like my skin color. I’m trying to work on it, but to me, tan legs look SO much better- and lets face it – tan skin hides lots of imperfections!

I tan incredibly easily and was always a gorgeous shade of bronze growing up and into my early 20’s owing to a whole heap of time at the beach. That said I was never, never without SPF40 if I was going to be there for more than a quick in and out dip and was always aware of the dangers posed by the sun (living in a household where ur mum is a health educator will do that to you!).

These days however I have been spending less and less time on the beach or by the pool and have become quite pale. I refuse to use self tanning products on principle because I am what I am and I don’t think that I should have to change that just to fit someone else’s ideal of what looks good (in addition to being afraid of turning orange lol). Celebrities like Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett have helped make peaches and cream more fashionable these days anyway and if I am feeling a little too washed out a spot of blush or bronzer over my cheeks gives me an instant pick me up. I use a moisturiser with SPF30 in it every day and also use mineral makeup that offers a little additional protection but can’t face putting suncream anywhere else on a daily basis, it’s just too greasy and smelly. I still take necessary precautions when I know I am going to be out in the sun for a while tho as I would rather not look like an old bag of leather by the time I’m 50! Fortunately here in Australia we are finally starting to see a little bit of a shift in the perception that bronze skin = healthy too as more and more awareness of the harmful effects of excessive sun exposure spreads. I say tanned or pale, embrace what and who you are naturally!

I am extremely fair-skinned, but I like my coloring. I have blue eyes and very dark hair, so my paleness is set off well. My skin is the sort that can’t tan at all, so I don’t even bother trying to get color.

I was embarassed about being so fair-skinned when I was younger, but now I consider my fairness an asset. I get lots of compliments on my coloring, from men and women. I’m sure my legs look chubbier since they are ghost-white, but I really can’t bring myself to care.

I am of mediterranean ancestry (I pass for Italian) and tan easily… if I sunbath. But I’ve been married to a cancer survivor (not skin cancer, but why risk?) for half a decade, so every year I see very little sun and I tan less and less.

I’m not particularly worried about that, but I feel the paleness in my legs really out of context. Like, having a skin designed for natural bronze tan, gives me some responsibility I’m not sure I’d like to take.

I’m with you, Angie. Actually, I’ve never wanted to change my pale skin color, despite teasing in high school. I’ve always loved my Victorian milky completion, and plan to keep it. Thanks to you ladies on YLF, I have used SPF 30 every day for the past year or so, and I mean to keep doing so. I do occasionally take a day off of the sunscreen because my doctor recommended getting a little sun every now and then to keep myself from becoming Vitamin D deficient. As with many other things, balance is important in this. It’s great to hear that there are other lovely pale ladies out there, and even a few like me who are not ashamed of it. Honestly, I don’t even like the tan look, and I’m not about to let society dictate something like my skin color. I think everyone should go natural.

I have very white skin and ive always hated it. But reading that I feel better about my skin colour. Although i would love to be a darker skin tone, as i think it looks lovely on other girls, I am feeling better about my paleness. I have never used any self tanning products as i think it makes the skin look streaky and orange as I have seen other girls like this and I do not think it is a good look at all . My skin never tans and so i dont really bother trying to. I use alot of sunscreen to protect my skin as i do not want skin cancer or many wrinkles when i am older. I am 13 years old and I often look at other tanned girls in jealousy – i will admit. My mum often tells me i have lovely skin and i am starting to get used to the colour of my skin – although many people often remind me how pale my skin is, for example, “You need a tan”, “You are so pale!”, “wow you are really white”, im like “Yeah i know…”. It was comments from people (my age) that made me dislike my skin as their tone of voice was not pleasant, which made me think “they are not complimenting me” and i often used to feel embarrassed by my white skin. But from now on, when i get a comment like those, i will say “Yeah i know, it’s beautiful isnt it?”

[...] have pale skin that does actually change colour when exposed to the sun. It burns easily when unprotected, but [...]

OMG! I stumbled on this blog looking for celebs with pale skin. I’m mixed, (Bahamas & Puerto Rico) so my skin is like forever tan but growing up I had an Irish aunt and other ladies in my life that were absolutely beautiful… and their skin happened to be semi pale or so pale you could see the rosey red hue. HOW GORGEOUS! lol.

All of you read heads, brunettes, and blondes that are pale, flaunt it because as a male I must tell you that MANY guys talk about how hot pale skin is. When I was younger I remember my mother showing me a Japanes princess that had very pale skin and her comment was ” Isn’t she beautiful? Her skin is like Milk.”

IT’S HER FAULT!

To the author : Please be mindful of the SPF false claims of keeping you protected. ***It’s A Known Fact That SPF Creams (Man-made) Are More Likely To Give You Skin Problems And Or Cancer Later On Due To The Harmful Chemicals In Them*** Also sun is NOT the enemy. Good nutrition is a major contributor as to how the sun affects us. Did you know natural Hemp Oil has a natural SPF of about 6. You don’t really need SPF 40 (Geez that’s high). You want some sun for the vitamins you get from it and the energy it gives you and cell rejuvenation. That’s right Superman was not the only one that gets his energy from the sun

That’s all, All of you take care of the beautiful skin, pamper it and be proud of it, us guys LOVE it! Mmmmmuah!

I’ve spent a very long time learning about truths in medicine and body care. Look up “natural skin care” “Natural cures” and things like that in Google. There’s a whole world of things other than harsh corporate cover up creams, Really!.

Daniel

i live in hawaii, and jus mite be the whitest person here, i keep looking for colors that wont flush me but havent found any besides blue!

I’m 16 and sort of have the same problem. My mates always want to go sunbathing and brag about thier tans…But although the pressure is there, with all the magazine’s promoting the fake tans and all that, I’ve stopped really caring.
Some things look better with a pale complexion, not to mention the fact I’ve convinced myself I’ll be better off in twenty years when I have less wrinkles than my friends. (I hope)

You are what you are. Nothin’ you can do about it! :]

Thank you for this! We’ve come leaps & bounds in accepting that women of colour can be every bit as beautiful, no matter their skin tone. I wish we could do the same for the pale women in our society. No one should feel that one skin colour is more beautiful than another.

I’m 14, and I slightly would explain my looks like Taylor Swift, except I’m 5′3…

I can’t tan for my life, and people tease me about it all the time. In 6th grade, I cried for hours because a boy that I really liked told me he only dated people who could tan.

Like this article, I am SO JEALOUS of those girls with natural tan skin….oh how I want to tan!

I have spent hours on google reading articles like these…searching for some way to get that dark beautiful glow…..

Accept, one day…a modeling agent came up to me from Ford, and….comented me on so many things, including my fair skin!

What I think is, we envy what we don’t have, and live with so gifts we are blind to. We should embrace our complexions.

(accept I still want to tan)

Firstly, i’d like to say how wonderful it is you have embraced your colour. I, however, have never been strong enough to do such a thing. I live in hell. everyday is an inner battle with the way I look; with my complexion. I wear fake tan as reflex paper would be darker than my natural colour. I’m 17 years old, am told i’m quite pretty but have been teased relentlessly for being very pale. When I wear fake tan, I do get a slight confidence boost but as it rubs off and my natural colour begins to shine through, my anguish emerges also. Being so self-concious of my skin means that I am unable to do a lot of things and it truely does impact on my quality of life. If anybody does know of any kind of medical procedures which enhance pigment or by some means, are able to make me look less like snow white… I would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

I’m 14 and 5′4″ with medium golden blonde hair and blue eyes. Don’t forget that I am extremely fair-skinned.
I often get teased at school about my white skin. It lowers my self-esteem a lot. Outside in the sunlight the neighbors have said that I’m blindingly bright. I can’t tan in the sun to save my life. I just burn. I’ve tried self-tanners, but none of them do the job right. I just turn yellow. Yes, yellow. Not even orange.
I don’t wear shorts out in public because you can see all my veins. So in the summer I’m stuck wearing jeans. It’s the worst feeling– not being able to wear what you’d like to because of your skin tone, which is something that you can’t change. You can dye your hair, wear colored contacts, get plastic surgery, etc., but there’s nothing that can permanently darken your skin.
I’m aware that back in victorian times if you were very pale you were considered higher in rank because that meant that you weren’t outside doing yardwork. You had servants to do that. Now, having that golden glow is the key to beauty, it seems.
And for me, that means beauty is practicly unattainable.

Have you noticed how gorgeous people look as they age if they protect their skin as opposed to the sun worshipers (even those who tan easily) I know a lady who is 38 and looks like she’s in her fifties, no joke! Actually I know lots of women like that down here in the South, it seems to be the never dying trend. I bet when they were in their 20’s they never imagined they would look like that.

My entire family is made up of people who just cannot seem to get a natural tan.. Fortunately for me, when I was but a mere 14 years old the object of my affection at the time said I looked ethereal in regards to my skin. Ever since I have embraced the pale, it is such a rare thing to have especially in Oregon where people are obsessed with tanning-beds and sprays.

I lived right on the beach on the east coast of Florida, so I was constantly surrounded by blonde girls with extremely tanned skin. I began to embrace my fair skin as something that made me stand out from the sea of clones. I even took it a step further and dyed my dirty blonde hair a chocolate brown.

Fair skin can give you the timeless beauty that a tan is unable to do. Plus, people who don’t get a lot of sun damage when they’re young, have healthier, softer skin when they’re older as opposed to the leathery skin those “sun godesses” get.

i’m quite pale, and have some freckels. i’ve learned to like my pale skin, because it makes me stand out from all of the tan people around me. my only concern with pale skin is that i don’t want to look GRAY. sometimes i love lovely and soft in my pale skin, other times i just look gray and unhealthy