Yes, Mom and well-meaning friends, I already know it’s dangerous. I know it may kill me. How could I forget it? I’m reminded every time I slink out of my car, praying not to be seen in front of that delapidated old building, then scurry into that darkened back room where I do my filthy deed. I leave a half hour early for work every day so I can get my fix. I’m truly ashamed. I know it’s wrong but I just can’t stop. I even lie to my friends about it. I scoff at and chastise other addicts who don’t know that I use, too.
My name is Jane, and I am a tanning bed junkie.
You see, I am naturally a blue-white hue. I terrify small children when I wear shorts in my “winter skin”. Of course we all know that’s just denial talking; I’m making weak excuses. I am powerless over my addiction. I sometimes develop a sort of short-term hypochondria while I’m in there. I can feel what I believe to be tumors developing even as I lie there listening to Classic Rock on the radio alarm clock my pusher provides. It’s a sickness, God knows it is.
I dunno, I always kinda dug really, really white women. So much more contrast was pleasing to the eye. Especially if they were really white with lots of freckles!
So don’t tan for me, go out and get a sponsor, go to TA
tanners anonymous), and work those steps, don’t tan, go to meetings, and change your whole ‘freakin’ pigment!
What a strange world you must live in. I carry an umbrella around when it’s sunny because I can’t stand being in the sun for even a minute or two. If we shook hands we would probably both explode.
Hi. My name is Michelle and I am a tanner. I originally started going to the booth before my wedding, hoping to provide a lovely contrast with my brown skin and white wedding dress. Soon after getting married I became pregnant so I had to quit. I promised I wouldn’t go back. My son is now 8 wks. old and the urge is starting again. I will lie and refer to my naturally tanning skin if anyone comments. I will look sun-kissed, beach-bummed, and summer-ready. It will all come from a tanning booth bulb.
<Angry addict rantings coming up>
I don’t care. I am overweight (but working on it!). Fat white legs and arms look better slightly browned, just like bacon is better when it’s cooked. Sue me. You can’t take my tanning booth from me. I won’t let you!
I am so white I glow in the dark. I have been told many times that ‘gee, tanned redheads are HOT, you should tan’.
I have nothing against tanned redheads. I have in fact seen tanned redheads that are hot. But I’m not one of them, I’m never going to be one of them. I am allergic to the self-tanning creams and can’t bear the thought of cooking myself in a tanning bed.
And, IMHO, I’m already HOT. So get off my back!
…Ooh yeah, that and four of my great-grandparents died of some form of cancer. I’m not gonna chance it.
I am now 36, but when I was in my early twenties I was addicted to tanning. It started out as a way for me to get some color before I vacationed in Mexico, but it turned into a full blown addiction. I bought my own tanning bed. What finally made me stop was the pigment on my face was changing colors, and my face still shows damage from over doing it. I don’t look bad if I stay fairly white now, but the minute I get any sun on my face parts of it won’t tan, no matter what. I look like a piebald, not very attractive. My doctor told me to stop tanning. When I was in my twenties I didn’t care what I’d look like in my older years, but now I’m there and it sucks.
I tanned a bit last year before heading to Florida. (I’m a pale pink shade of white and have a tendency to burn before tanning) I always got nauseated after a session. Not something I’m going to get addicted to anytime soon.
As a side note, anyone else have a clue as to my ‘alergy’ to tanning? I’m insane?
Ugh. My sister does this…it looks so unnatural on her. I did it a little, but I really don’t like it. I tan easily, anyhow, if I want to be dark, I’ll just go out in the sun. I’d rather be pale, anyhow.
I am just a shade too dark to be considered an albino, and the sun does nothing but burn me. I have to be sure to slather myself in sunscreen in the summer or else I will look like a cooked lobster in no time.
Some whiteys like me will burn first and then tan, but not me. I’ll burn, become a royal bitch because it hurts to be in my own skin, peel like a reptile, and then freckle. If I happen to get caught in the sun again, the process will repeat.
Occasionally, I’ll get sick of being a glow in the dark freak, and I’ll try to think of ways to get some color. I bought some self-tanning cream once, and while it was very hard to resist the urge to lather myself up and get an all-over tan, I decided to first test it out on my arm. Well, unless I was going for the ‘all I eat is carrots’ look, I’d have to find another way. I considered lying out in the sun, but I knew I’d be sorry. A friend suggested I try a tanning bed, so off I went. When I walked in I thought I could see the little bronzed bitch behind the counter squinting at my ultra-whiteness. They gave me little pasties for my nipples and eyelids, and I almost walked out right then and there. I should have walked out too, because after my whole 7 minutes I came out of there just as white as when I went it. I thought it was a huge waste of money, and was almost ready to accept the fact that I would be blue-white (kinda like a glass of skim milk) forever.
A little while later I started feeling really warm and realized that I did get some color from the tanning bed… unfortunately is was bright red.
Since then, I have tried to embrace my whiteness, and love it. There are some advantages, I guess. For example, some guys really dig freckles and creamy white skin. I look really good with red hair. No pesky tan lines. Getting to be able to see the blue veins in my arms all the way up to my elbows…oh, wait, that’s not really an advantage. Um, I’m sure I’ll think of more later…
