Top

It’s almost July and I’m still white as a ghost. And you know what? I’m actually fine with it. When I was younger, I got tanned very easily. So much so, I sometimes looked like a person of colour. Partially because I didn’t yet live in England, where summer doesn’t necessarily equal lots of sun, as I have learned, and partially because applying sunscreen on a daily basis wasn’t my thing. When you’re 13 years old, skin damage is the last thing on your mind, unfortunately, but now I know better.

I don’t remember the last time I got a proper tan and it’s not something I even wish for anymore. I am white and I embrace it. But the problem is that most pale-skinned women don’t. Bronzed skin has been considered a summer must-have since before I was born, and I can’t not notice that the media is constantly persuading women into getting a tan under any circumstances, just to get ‘beach body ready’. By the way, that phrase alone makes me want to vomit.

Last year, I witnessed a craze going on back in my home country about this product called Marmelada. It’s a product you’re supposed to apply before you go sunbathing, and supposedly, it helps you get an intense tan very quickly. It doesn’t contain any SPF, and it’s not a self-tanning product. The fact that such a product even exists is a bit worrying to me, as it promotes unsafe exposure to the sun, but what is even more worrying is the fact that the product got so popular it was constantly sold out. You can only imagine how many women went for it and sacrificed their health for a summer tan!

It’s very obvious to me that a great deal of Slovenian women are not informed enough about the dangers of sun exposure or simply ignore the scary facts, which is even sadder. There’s another summer ahead of us, and if you’ve recognized yourself in the sentences I wrote above, I truly hope you’ll reconsider your actions and protect your skin this year. Please do wear SPF. Sunscreens these days are not what they used to be. You know, those white, thick, almost impossible to spread consistencies that never quite sinked in? These days they are actually quite lovely. If you need some guidance, I personally use SPF30 Anthelios XL Comfort Nutritive Oil for my body and Anthelios SPF50+ XL Fluid for my face. Both are from La Roche-Posay, my favourite skincare brand.

Please ignore everyone who says that you NEED to be tanned to look ‘healthy’. It’s bullshit. Do you want to know what’s truly healthy? Cancer-free skin. That’s what’s healthy. And besides, who decided pale skin can’t be beautiful? It is, just like any other, so embrace it or at least use one of those fabulous products that help you fake the tan while still keeping you safe. There’s plenty out there, from self-tanners and bronzers to dry oils with golden shimmer. Use them all if you want to, but do apply sunscreen before you go out in any case, okay? And please don’t use that stupid marmelade.

Take women of London as an example. There’s a lot of us pale girls over here. Most are even paler than me thanks to their British genes, but from what I’ve seen, they are pretty aware of the dangers of the sun, being more prone to getting sunburns. I don’t really see them baking in the sun. They seem to be happy to either slather on sunscreen and embrace their paleness or reach after self-tanners, which are flying off the shelves here in the UK. Despite not being a fan of them myself (I’m just too lazy to use them), they are without a doubt a much better alternative.

To continue the debate, I would love to hear what your sunbathing habits are and which products you use to keep your skin protected and/or tanned.

P.S.  This post is a part of the collab I did with my fellow (pale) Slovenian bloggers, so make sure to check out their posts as well. We decided to join forces to help raise awareness of the dangers of the sun and hopefully convince you to start using sun protection if you aren’t yet. Here’s what they have to say on the topic…

Ana (Šoštanj) from Mad About Red: ”Tanned skin may look healthier to some people, but it actually isn’t, it’s damaged. The fact that your skin even gets a tan is the reaction of your body’s defence mechanism.” – Read her full post over here.

Karina (Kranj) from Karinartistic: ”You shouldn’t have to say things like ‘My legs are so pasty. I’m in need of a tan ASAP.’ every time summer comes along, and instead embrace your healthy skin as it is.” – Read her full post over here.

Mateja (Novo Mesto) from Mateja’s Beauty Blog: ”Although I cannot speak on behalf of everyone, where I live, in Dolenjska, sun protection is seen as something you wear on the beach or at the pool and not every day, but whether people sun bathe or not, it depends on the person.” – Read her full post over here.

Nika (Ljubljana) from Beautyfullblog: ”Due to the fine lines and hyperpigmentation I get by the end of the summer, I learned the healthy shade of skin is the shade of skin I was born with. Every tan I get is only a fastpast to premature ageing.” – Read her full post over here.

Tamara (Koper) from Cherry Colors: ”Growing up at the seaside wasn’t always easy. Thanks to my pale skin, I was constantly called names or got told I would look much better with a tan.” – Read her full post over here.

You can find even more thoughts on sunbathing and product recommendations over here. If you’re a blogger youself, I invite you to join in on the discussion, write your own post and link it up. 🙂

Comments:

  • Anna.

    June 30, 2016

    Meni se zdi, da rdeča šminka najlepše paše na bledo polt. Nam vsem full paše ;)In tole LRP obrazno kremico imam že kar nekaj časa na WL. 😉

    reply...
    • Sandra

      June 30, 2016

      Ja, res je bolj opazna na svetli polti. 🙂 Kremico pa le preizkusi, je res super. Jaz jo že tretje leto uporabljam, še očita jo je začel, haha.

      reply...

post a comment