It seems that right before summer is ironically the time when most girls go to tanning booths. Sometimes there seems to be no other solution though, tanning in the sun takes time, tanning lotion gives bad results, and being pale is simply not an option.

Spring break and prom seem to have a huge influence on the need to be tan. Being tan before traveling to a tropical vacation (where tanning happens regardless) is a necessity. It is also a must to sacrifice  health to look a couple of shades darker for just one night (like Prom) where the lights are already dim.

Many girls at Lewis-Palmer have become addicted to tanning beds, saying that it is so warm and comfortable. This coziness factor seems to have masked the dangers of tanning booths. Cancer risks are increased tremendously by the UV lights used in tanning booths.

Media influences also makes girls strive to be tan and perfect. Photos in magazines always have the model be airbrushed tan and somewhere exotic in the beach. Those pictures aren’t real and girls shouldn’t struggle to be so fake.

Tanning beds may be considered to be a drug; it can’t be done just once. The effects of tanning seem to increase the want to be darker. One can never seem to be dark enough. The habit of tanning grows and never ceases to end until dramatic consequences have come into play.

Students embracing their inner beauty is so important during the high school years. Striving to be perfect by having the best clothes, blondest hair, and the tannest skin won’t get anyone anywhere but somewhere they will regret. If students hold on to who they really are, that will get them so much farther in life. Since when is sacrificing one’s own life and health worth being tan?