How to get from tanning addiction to self-acceptance is often a journey that can take some time. Rarely is this transformation an overnight one.
Often it is a skin cancer diagnosis that sets up the quick change. Otherwise, it takes some professional help and time to make the change of acceptance.
Are you still making decisions that damage your skin? Do you see what is happening to your skin?
We live in a world that often associates beauty with unrealistic and standardized ideals. There are so many sides to this standard, and they are based on a fantasy of a “perfect” look!
Fortunately, we know that embracing one’s natural skin tone is emerging as a powerful movement.
A move that is celebrating diversity and promoting self-acceptance.
Living in Central Texas, cultural diversity involves the Mexican American population. The lovely natural brown tones that many of these people have encourages the idea of enhancing our skin tones with a tan.
This gives more strength to the beauty of tan skin. Our pale-colored skin doesn’t measure up. It is not as attractive as darker tan skin. Is this the message you are getting?
Is this the base you are making your skin color preference on? Or do you think about what your skin can handle? What your DNA is designed for?
Embracing Natural Skin Tone
The importance of valuing and embracing all skin tones is particularly evident.
By recognizing and appreciating the beauty in our natural skin tones, individuals can experience self-esteem benefits, both personally and societally.
When you can overcome the pressure to conform to the artificial ideas of conventional beauty standards, you can learn to love and appreciate your unique complexion.
Most of us don’t realize that we have been influenced into accepting the ideals of beauty that few can meet. We find fault because of our skin freckles. Or because you don’t tan naturally. Or you sunburn.
The pressure to be comfortable wanting healthy skin instead of tanned skin will mean overcoming the pressure we are not aware of.
Wanting to be considered attractive is vital to all of us. We go to great lengths to conform. To get that tan!
The Liberating Benefits of Overcoming Social Pressure
When you can go from tanning addiction to self-acceptance, pale skin, and all, you will be liberated from the damaging effects of too much sun.
That trip from tanning addiction for some is a long journey. We are all different and have different response triggers. Too often, by the time we accept that tanning is just not worth the damage to your skin, we already have a good bit of damage.
Where are you? Are you still in denial of the dangers? Is the pull of a darker tan making you get too much sun? Are you making harmful decisions about protecting your skin?
Self-acceptance is liberating. When you accept yourself, you will be coming to terms with your true complexion colors.
The day I realized that I was OK as I was? It is still stuck in my memories.
When I realized that “perfect just wasn’t going to happen for me, I was so relieved. I could relax and enjoy being me. Have you embraced your true complexion tones?
How to Boost Self-Esteem and Confidence
Boosting your self-esteem and confidence will get you on your way to healthy standards for your appearance.
Embracing natural skin tones can significantly enhance self-esteem and confidence, especially for those living in Central Texas, where diverse ethnicities thrive.
Individuals with pale skin tones have faced discrimination and bias, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth, based on their skin color.
Most were unaware that they were making these decisions and accepting their values from media, or other outside forces.
For a light tone skin individual, feelings of not measuring up were felt, especially when wearing a swimsuit or other more revealing clothing.
The times they wanted to join in fun activities like swimming or playing a sport like tennis or track and field competition often include showing lots of skin. Pale skin! Skin that was not tan!
This has made the younger age groups more prone to use tanning to get their skin darker, and in the media’s eyes more acceptable. Unfortunately, their peers get their standards in the same place, the media.
This younger age group is more likely to compare themselves to unrealistic beauty ideals perpetuated by media, leading to lower feelings of self-worth and inner strength.
This is why professional help is important. As the younger ones are still finding their place in society, additional behavior issues often develop.
Activities that are positive are important for someone who is struggling with any feeling of decreased self-worth or self-esteem.
Young people who struggle with tanning addiction usually struggle with grades in school. Tanning is just a way they show their vulnerability.
If tanning addiction is apparent, by the amount of dark-tanned skin, it is time to get help. Get help before deep damage is done by too much sun.
How To Find Your Idenity
Central Texas is a melting pot of cultures, with a rich blend of ethnicities.
Do you have a large number of people from Mexico? Or Germany? Do you have many redheads in your community?
For many, skin color is deeply tied to cultural heritage and identity.
Embracing natural skin tones fosters cultural pride, providing a way to reclaim one’s roots and celebrate diversity. In societies where tanner skin has been favored, pale or lighter-skinned individuals often felt compelled to conform.
The tanner skin is thought of as healthy. And for the past 50 or so years has been the guide to beauty standards. Tans are promoted by people trying to sell you something!
Something to help tan your skin, and something to make your tan look better once you have it!
Think about it! Will you allow someone to continue to sell you on the idea that tan is the only way you can be attractive?
How to Encourage Body Positivity and Better Mental Health
We live in a world that is obsessed with meeting standards. Why else would we have a grading system in our schools? Scoring system for competitive sports?
Ok, I understand, in some places the rating standard is not as harmful as others. With grades, you are usually compared to others in the same age group with the same amount of teaching.
In sports, everyone has had training and coaching.
But in the color of our skin? We think we are being judged on something we have no control over. My mom and dad were not going to give me the right mix of genes to have dark brown/black hair and dark eyes.
In my family, my son has green eyes and blonde hair. The first daughter has light blue eyes and strawberry-blonde hair. The second daughter has deep brown eyes. and dark blonde hair. We represent the mix of backgrounds that makes up our DNA.
Expecting one of us to have dark tan skin? Without time spent tanning it just wasn’t going to happen. However, somewhere along the way, some of our group adopted the social standard that rates tan as the best skin tone.
Until they were in their 30’s they thought a deep tan was the answer.
Now they have a different standard of beauty, but they also have sun-damaged skin. The damage often leads to skin cancer.
The older daughter is just now finishing healing from skin cancer surgery that became infected because some inner stitches didn’t dissolve as they were supposed to.
Months of healing? All because of a standard of attractiveness that started her on a path of tanning.
I am grateful this same false standard pushed by the media and social opinion didn’t include being five foot two inches tall. Our genetics that produced a six-foot-four son, and six-foot-tall daughters would have created more problems.
What are Normal Skin Tones
Living in Central Texas, where body image pressures can affect individuals from diverse backgrounds, embracing natural skin tone becomes an essential aspect of body positivity.
It challenges the unrealistic expectations and harmful beauty standards imposed by the media and society.
A research paper in the Journal of Eating Disorders (Piran et al., 2015) highlights that when we have body dissatisfaction. it is often because of societal beauty norms and media representations of beauty.
By rejecting these damaging beauty ideals and embracing their natural skin tones, individuals are promoting a healthier relationship with their bodies.
These healthier relationships are reducing the risk of body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and anxiety related to appearance.
This shift towards self-acceptance encourages holistic well-being and a positive attitude toward one’s body and self-image.
This addiction issue is a serious issue and can have high risks.
This is another reason professional help is important. Often the addiction is not something that will heal itself soon.
Probably there would be a slowing down of the control tanning can have on our loved ones’ life but at the cost of their skin health.
Intervention could limit more of the damage the tanning can do to their skin. Did you forget what your skin can do for your body?
Your Skin, Your Body Sock
Your skin is like a body sock. A body sock that holds all your parts in place!
Your legs are held on in the right place, so you can walk. This bag of cells is important for keeping you healthy. Without healthy skin, how would you cool?
What if you couldn’t sweat? How would you stay warm in cold weather?
What would protect you from disease? From infection? When an area gets a weak spot, it will not be as efficient in protecting you.
If you get sunburn on the trunk of your body, will it heal and be able to do its tasks? Will you be able to sweat as efficiently after several sunburns?
Will your skin wear out like fabric in a sock? Get weak places that can no longer function properly. How healthy is your diet? Do you take good care of your skin, only to overexpose it to the sun?
What happens when you have a skinned spot on your arm? Is the skin healthy enough to heal properly or will it become infected? When you lost some skin off your knee, did you lose lymph glands that are necessary to heal?
Did the sunburn across your nose heal and leave healthy skin? What about across your shoulders? On your back? How much healthy skin can you afford to lose?
We have been careless long enough. Tanning addiction is dangerous for our skin. If you see the addiction in yourself, get help. Your skin is the largest organ of our bodies for a reason. It is very important for good health.
Help Create Inclusive Beauty Standards
The “make me beautiful” industry plays a significant role in shaping societal norms and ideals.
To begin embracing natural skin tones, we need to be looking at individuals who are advocating for more inclusive beauty standards.
Inclusivity reflects the diversity of our blended nation of immigrants. But is a slow sell to those in the age groups who are vernable. We are all so different. We are better off building on our strengths.
In recent years, some beauty brands have started diversifying their product offerings to cater to a broader range of skin tones. And body shapes.
This move towards inclusivity signals a shift in societal values and is a response to the growing demand for diversity representation.
As more people embrace their natural skin tones, the beauty industry will be more willing to embrace diverse beauty. As they create products that celebrate the unique features of all individuals we can feel valued as well.
This transformation gives us all a sense of belonging and acceptance. Especially for individuals who have long felt neglected by the industry.
However, it is important to point out that the beauty industry is mainly in the business to get your beauty dollars. Keep this in mind when spending and buying the items you need for skin care.
Promoting Social Equity
Are you ready to challenge colorism and promote social equity?
Colorism, a form of discrimination based on skin color, is a relevant issue in various communities across Central Texas.
Embracing natural skin tones is a powerful way that we can challenge colorism and promote more social equity.
When society values all skin colors equally?
You will no longer be judged or treated unfairly because of your complexion. You won’t have to be tan to be attractive.
This societal shift leads to greater inclusivity, diversity, and harmony for our loved ones to mature and grow into strong healthy adults, making good decisions.
It is a complex issue, this part of our hearts and minds that makes us suspectable to tanning addiction. Your support is important to your loved one.
Sami’s take on “How to get from tanning addiction to self-acceptance”
When we can embrace our natural skin tone we will realize a feeling of self-worth. The business of living with impossible standards is very confusing.
The benefits for society as a whole come from recognizing the value of diversity.
The movie “Barbie” is being marketed. Did you think you should look like Barbie when you grew up? Remember when you had to be “old enough” for a Barbie?
How many millions of dollars are marketers making from selling an artificial and fictitious idea of what is acceptable beauty? Yes, there were different colors of skin along the way, but they were the exception, not the rule.
Individuals are breaking free from harmful beauty norms and embracing their authentic selves.
When we concentrate more on:
Promoting self-esteem
Fostering cultural pride
Encouraging body positivity
Creating inclusive beauty standards
Challenging colorism
Keeping bodies healthy
Educating ourselves
As we realize that we can make this movement continue to grow, it has the potential to revolutionize societal perceptions of beauty.
We can create a world where everyone can feel beautiful, valued, and accepted, regardless of their skin color. Or how tall they are or how thin they are.
Confidence because they are a good and deserving person already in themselves.
Where are you in your journey with self-acceptance?
Thank you,
Sami
References:
Is Tanning an Addiction @ https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/behavioral-addiction/addicted-to-tanning-uv-rays