You’ll never find me hiding from the sun under shady palm trees or wide-brimmed straw hats for fear of getting darker. I embrace the sun the moment I hit the beach, sometimes waking up early in the morning to catch the “healthier” rays with a book in tow. And I never wake up before noon if I can help it. It’s been almost a year since I last had time to bake under the sun, so I was pleased to note that my skin turned a gorgeous brown after spending a day snorkeling at the coral reefs of Apo Island. I love tanning and if there’s one thing I’m confident about, it’s that I know I look good after a day under the sun.
Top: Rampage
Jeans: Uniqlo
Pumps: Figlia
Bracelet: Dumaguete
I didn’t always think highly about brown skin though. When I saw my first Block and White ad at the tender age of 10, I secretly bought a bottle and slathered copious amounts of it on my arms and legs, hoping it would make me as pretty as the girl in the commercial. It didn’t. Although I still felt very un-pretty for most of my adolescent years, I stopped the whitening regimen after that first bottle, mostly because the pimples on my face were a bigger beauty hang-up than the color of my skin. I wonder if I would have kept on buying Block and White if my skin was zit-free but brown.
In college, I discovered that I actually liked getting dark when I go to the beach. The pale lines left by my bikini makes me feel kinda sexy and my new golden brown color serve as proof that I Went Somewhere That Summer. I still feel this way about beach tans; I wear it as a badge of honor, a sign that I’m still bohemian enough to book spontaneous trips to the ocean and worry about work later.
Photo credit
Not everyone shares my love for tanning, nor do they always associate such positive emotions with it. At least, not in the Philippines. Thanks to shows like Nita Negrita and the skin whitening commercials that follow after, many Filipinas associate whiter skin not just with beauty, but with empowerment. Campaigns for skin whitening products are actually getting smarter by nudging consumers to think of the things they can achieve once they have lighter, fairer skin. For this reason, you won’t find me featuring skin whitening products in this blog. How can I support brands who tell you that your skin is ugly because it’s dark, and that you are incapable of achieving greatness because you weren’t born half-white?
Of course, there are people who dislike tanning for more practical reasons. A friend with lovely olive-hued skin avoids the sun at the beach because her skin turns zombie gray once her tan fades. One friend is paranoid about wrinkles, while another doesn’t want the hassle of investing in new foundation and concealer. I actually tried avoiding the sun so I wouldn’t have to buy new makeup either. But the moment I set foot in the resort, I realized there’s no fun in hiding in the shade when I can frolic in the water. Fortunately the foundation I use is really a shade darker, and my concealer is inexpensive.
What about you – do you relish in the sunlight or are you afraid to tan? How do skin whitening ads and products make you feel? Do you have any hang-ups about the color of your skin?
Oh I totally feel the same way, Lauren! When I was still in my tween stage, I felt so insecure with my color, plus most of the boys I liked back then ogled at fair-skinned girls.
Now, I totally love my skin, especially when I realized that most foreigners would cut off their own arm (heh) just to get a natural tan like mine.
nice top, btw.. :)
Ah, inggit. You look so good with a tan! Super gorgeous <3
On normal days I slather on sunblock like crazy. But when I’m out on the beach, I still apply sunblock but I throw caution to the wind and enjoy! I’m not afraid to tan, but everytime I do it is usually short-lived (sad).
Plus I hate that in between stage where my skin peels and I look meh — you know, that stage when I’m not quite my color but I ain’t tan either. And yeah, hassle to buy new makeup so sometimes I can’t wait for my original color to come back. Hee… :D
Hi, plz don’t take this in an offensive way but I hope you know that too much sun exposure in the long run will be bad for your skin. it can cause pigmentation. You may not see it now but when you are in your 40s and onwards, you probably will. It’s best to apply ample amt of sunblock and limit how long you spend in the sun.
While I could care less about skin whitening products, but too much sun exposure is not good for the skin. Did you know that Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer? it’s mainly due to geological circumstance and Australian’s love of the outdoors. Sure you get a gorgeous tan but is it worth it?
Of course I’m aware of all the risks. But skin cancer is the least of my problems. I only go to the beach once a year, twice if it’s a good year. When I’m at the beach, I apply sunblock every two hours, and stay in the shade at noon til about mid-afternoon. When it’s an ugly beach and there’s nothing interesting to do in the water, I don’t even stay under the sun all that much.
My mom grew up living near the beach and going there frequently. She still has great skin and she doesn’t look her age. Based on my family’s medical history, I think I’m more likely to die of breast cancer than skin cancer.
Oh very pretty look and beautiful color!
Alas. I am afraid to tan. My skin bakes so fast and I get sunburnt easily :( I love the look of tanned skin but I’m not sure if I look good darker plus I usually have a hard time getting an even tan.
Masyado na kasing “bombarded” ang mga Pilipino sa mga ad sa tv na kapag maputi ka maganda ka ang daming produkto na naglipana kung saan-saan para pumuti ka lang sabon man yan o lotion masyadong insecure sa mga mapuputi partikular na sa mga foreigners ang inferiority complex nga naman ng mga pilipino pagdating sa kulay ng balat grabe. Brown is the Beautiful kulay yan ng pinay eh.
i am never afraid of the sun…I always love the beach even though sometimes my mom would asked me to put on some sunscreen which I always fail to do so…
Kisses
Sweet
PensandLens
@mistytewest
I love being tan, and I feel the same way about beach tans. I love love the after beach glow. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to a beach for a long time and every time a friend bumps into me they ask if I take glutathione. :| I used to go to the beach so much people thought that was my natural color. LOL. I love tanning but I feel guilty, though, because despite the lovely golden color after, I know it’s really bad for the skin and sun damage is the number one cause of skin aging. Something I ought to start worrying about now that I’m in my late twenties. :))
Btw, I meant to tell you when I saw you last night at the STP concert–you look slimmer now! :D You look great, especially with this tan.
Whee thanks! :D I didn’t know you were gonna be at STP! I was gonna tell you sana to jump down and join us, but I went out to pee and I pretty much ran to the stage when I was done cos the show just started. I’m still on a major high from the concert!
I thought I misheard you when you said you got the tickets from Anton Diaz, and I was looking around to see if he were there. Haha! Actually our seats were pretty good, too, I had a foot rest. LOL! Figures you and Marco would be there, he was totally the first one to react when I tweeted “Are STP washed up cos they’re here and playing in Araneta?” :))
I love being tan. And I’m proudly a morena too!
i grew up with my mom constantly telling me that I should use whitening stuff to “lighten” my complexion. I even damaged my skin at an early age when she taught me to use astringent (i was about 12) and had to suffer from bad skin throughout my teenage years until I graduate from college. Good thing, I have better skin now as an adult and have realized that my morena complexion is beautiful and nothing’s more important than healthy and glowing skin. sorry for the long reply. love your blog btw. addictive!