The Sun Culture

The main source of ultra violet radiation (UVR) is the sun.  In our present living and working conditions we are exposing ourselves to greater levels of UVR than at any time in history.  White skinned people think ‘brown is beautiful’ and strive to get a tan and naturally brown skinned people often desire a paler skin.  Technology that incorporates UVR is part of our daily life and is used by the medical industry and often in our workplace.

Today it is widely recognised that exposing our skin to the sun can be harmful and can result in a wide variety of skin conditions from premature aging to cancer.  The incidence of skin cancer is steadily rising each year, and it is affecting younger and younger people.  Most deaths from skin cancer are from malignant melanoma.

The sun is one of life’s great joys, and sunshine is stimulating, vital and exciting, but too much sun, not only spoils the enjoyment, it is destructive over time.  Cultural attitudes to the sun and to a tanned body have changed over time.  During the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, the tan started to become fashionable with sun exposure considered to be healthy.  In England at that time, a tanned skin indicated the person had holidayed in the south of France or Spain, and was something that only the wealthy could afford.  Therefore a tanned skin became equated with wealth.  Just as we use clothing, posture and movement to announce our attitudes, so too is our skin toning used.

The tan has been popular with the white races for a relatively short period in history.  Since the 1930s there has been a steady increase in the amount of sun exposure and the desire for a tan amongst the white populations around the world.  This change has been for long enough to see the damaging effects, and serious cautions are now being sounded in relation to sun exposure.

Despite attempts to change ideals of the ‘body beautiful’ to include ones of lighter skin tones, the white nations of the world still largely prefer tanned skins.  A tanned person in Western society is able to project an image of being more with it, and can inspire a feeling of greater confidence and competence than one without a tan.  Certainly, most people still desire to lead a healthy, wealthy sun drenched existence.

It is interesting that while white people desire a tanned skin, most Asians, who naturally have brown skins, desire a paler skin.  For them pale skin is more of a status symbol and is more fashionable.  The detrimental effect of the sun on skin was learnt by these people living in the tropics and sub-tropics and the lessons passed down to subsequent generations.