The Tanning Bed Phenomenon: Richmond edition

It's not uncommon to hear women say "I look so pale" with the same self-deprecation as the common "I look so fat," junior Savannah Gillespie said.

Gillespie said most of her friends viewed tan as good and pale as bad.

"My whole life, all of my friends have tanned, and I understand it; I really do," she said. "I know that most of them associate being more tan as being more beautiful."

Gillespie, who said her friends often referred to her as "Snow White," said even though she had never tanned, she had had three skin cancer scares simply because the fairness of her skin made her extremely susceptible.

"It's hard for me to watch as my friends are so incredibly cavalier about something so potentially dangerous," Gillespie said. "Try telling your mom that there is a slight possibility that you have skin cancer, and you will understand what I mean."

But in a society that says bronzed is beautiful, it can be difficult for many women to resist the allure of the tanning bed.

Nearly 70 percent of tanning salon customers are Caucasian girls and women, primarily ages 16 to 29, according to a report by the American Academy of Dermatology.

For some women, the decision to tan is rooted in social commitments.

Junior Doria Miller said she started going to tanning beds her sophomore year at Richmond.

"I started out just going a few times to get tanner for my sorority's formal, and then I decided to go a few times to get a base tan for beach week," she said.

But a pre-vacation tan - when people visit tanning salons to prepare skin for a sunny vacation - usually leads to extra radiation exposure because people are then less precautionary with protecting their skin from the sun, according to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Miller said she was aware of the medical risks of tanning and that both of her parents have had skin cancer. Miller said almost all of her friends went tanning.

Gail Altizer, the owner of the South Beach Tan and Body in Richmond, said she had observed an increase in University of Richmond customers before popular events, including Ring Dance and beach week, but many students tan year round, she said.

Altizer said the controlled environment of the tanning salon made it safer than tanning outdoors.

"At least in here, I have controls," Altizer said. "People lay out and get burnt, and getting burnt causes skin cancer. People do not leave here burnt."

Altizer said she thought it would be hard to come by a high school girl or college woman who did not tan, either artificially or naturally.

Being tan is key for some women to achieve a certain image, junior Meg Schroeder said.

"The pressure of appearance at Richmond is just to look good," Schroeder said. "And one of the ways you can look good is to be tan."

Schroeder said she had stopped tanning because it was a waste of money, her mother had disapproved and the friend she had started tanning with had stopped.

"I went by myself for a while; it was kind of humiliating," Schroeder said. "It was embarrassing if you were alone and saw people you knew."

Schroeder said she thought a double standard existed: "You're expected to look tan without going fake tanning, You're supposed to go on vacation all the time to warm places and just magically come back tan."

In many countries though, tans are not desirable. Being tan is viewed negatively in many Asian cultures because darker skin historically signified a lower social status, junior Elise Medina said.

"I'm Filipino, and in the Philippines, there is a lot of emphasis on actually lightening the skin," Medina said. "It is funny that people pay to tan. In Asia, many pay to whiten."

Many countries have cracked down on tanning. According to the CDC, Brazil has banned the use of tanning beds, and the United Kingdom, Germany, Scotland, France and several other countries have banned indoor tanning for people younger than 18.

In Virginia, customers under the age of 15 are required to obtain the signature of a parent or legal guardian.

"The really sad thing is I remember knowing girls in high-school who used to tan all the time, and I have already seen the effects of the sun damage on them," Gillespie said. "From sun spots and leathery skin to wrinkles."

Contact reporter Jenna Robinson at jenna.robinson@richmond.edu