Tanning is something that a lot of people do, whether laying out in the sun, from a bottle or a tanning bed. For those people people tanning gives them that needed boost of self confidence.
Over the course of about a week multiple people with varying opinions and perspectives on spray tanning were interviewed. Everybody had different inputs or thoughts about it. But one thing that was common within everyone was that spray tanning is not a bad thing.
While some view spray or self tanning as detrimental to oneself, many West students said they believe dying themselves darker isn’t a problem.
Senior Hailey Jane Dimick does not regularly self tan her skin. But, Dimick said, she does sometimes spray tan on special occasions — school dances or events. Dimick primarily expressed her confidence in self-tanning.. She said she enjoys when she has tan on, but it is not something she would do everyday.
Dimick said, “I have to find confidence within myself, and be okay with being pale and not feeling the need to self-tan.” This ties into the fact of people self tanning to find that confidence and even be more okay with how they look.
“Why would I change myself for other people?” Dimick added. She said people have made comments about her and how pale she is, whether they were trying to be rude or not. While senior Julia Spencer does not at all have a problem with self tanning.
“I feel like there are borders that you can cross when self tanning,” Spencer said. Self tanning is not something that is bad. Sure, it can totally raise your confidence and 100% make you feel better about yourself. But sometimes you can go too far with it, as to almost completely changing your skin tone and color.
“The worst thing you could do with your insecurities is to try and change or alter yourself,” Spencer said. This again relates back to the facts of self tanning based on insecurities or self confidence. Whether you self-tan for those reasons or not, it is important to love yourself for who you are as a human.
Spencer said, “There are harsh things that happen when you sit in the sun for too long, self tan can produce chemicals as well.” So while it always feels good to sit in the sun, that sun can produce harsh rays that can damage your skin. Some people may view self tanning or spray tanning as a safer option.
Junior Olivia Pectol tans because she is a professional dancer and she does it so she doesn’t look as pale on stage. She has been tanning for the past three years and said she tans every day for 15 minutes at the tanning salon.
“I only tan during the months of dance which is January through October” Pectol said. Pectol uses the lightest setting not to burn herself, but to only get darker. In the summer, Pectol does not go to tanning beds.
It is important as humans to do what makes us feel comfortable with our bodies, whether that is to self-tan or not. If self tanning is something that helps you feel presentable and happy with yourself then that is what you should do. At the end of the day you are to love yourself the way you are, and to never change yourself for another person.
