We all know there is nothing good for you under the sun. I wholly support the idea of not getting a suntan from the sun. I am, however, confused by the idea of “sunless tanning” where orange dye is applied to the skin in order to give a full and healthy glow. There’s even a “reality” TV show on the E! network called “Sunset Tan” where we get to watch feeble-minded people turn their skin orange for a thousand dollars a session.
What is the attraction of orange skin? Isn’t naturally sun-kissed skin brown and not orange? Is orange skin a failure of technology — or is it really a Racist chemical manipulation purposely created to create a “New Color” of people instead of imitating the darker, historically discriminated against, skin of other human races like Black and Hispanic?
Would a rich, White woman want to become “darker skinned” to show her leisure time to underlings, or is it better to have the gold in your pocket reflected in the orange of your fake tan?
Do you tan under the sun, at home with chemicals, or not at all? Why is darker skin desired by so many when the history of the world has been to punish those who are darker than the majority?
Is creating darker skin a social power play proclaiming: “I choose to have darker skin, while those who are naturally born into it have no way to become lighter.”
If people really find value and beauty in wearing orange skin, why not go all the way and imitate the original Sunkist orange?
Or is the color of a Sunkist orange not dark enough?