I've been thinking about this quite a lot recently. It annoys me that I exist within a culture which has taught me to question the natural appearance of my flesh, but I am also perpetuating that with self criticism and procrastination.
My legs are ok bare, but they are a tad white (northern UK, it never stops raining here!) and go mottled at the slightest hint of a chill, which makes me incredibly self conscious. I am super pale anyway, so don't fancy sporting orange fake tanned pins whilst the rest of me shines like alabaster!
I really kind of wish that nylons were once again accepted, but it appears they are not. They are ok for evenings, I think, but tend to create a weird affect on the legs in broad daylight, kind of like a prosthetic sheen....and then there's the sandal issue, the reinforced toe.
Wish I could offer a solution. I do dabble with Dove's very slight tanning lotion for lower legs occasionally, for it hasn't yet streaked and wears quite well, but I am always scared that the fakeness is somehow 'obvious'.
I would love to be able to just throw on a skirt, slip on my ballet flats an go - without worrying about paleness, nylons and the likes. We can debate over the assumption of pale=bad all we like, but this stuff is so ingrained within us that it is difficult to quieten the voice of self criticism. I want to overcome it, and do believe that a few practice runs might work in our favour, perhaps helping us to 'normalize' our pasty pins.....but I am still fighting!
One good thing - here in the UK we get so little sunshine it isn't an issue that arises so very often. You win some, you lose some.
