The current trend of artificial tan in the USA : "instant bronze = gold" (2007)

Résumé du document

In a culture with a continuously growing obsession with physical perfection, the hard, tan, beach body is the most coveted. Yet the days of sunbonnets, parasols, and giant floppy hats are not so long past. So why has the trend moved so strongly to the opposite direction since the latter half of the 20th century? A number of different cultural and historical movements provide background to shed light on the answer.

Extraits

[...] According to the ITA (Indoor Tanning Association), the indoor tanning bed business brings in about five billion dollars annually.[1] And that figure doesn't include money generated from the newer spray tan and tanning lotions that litter the shelves of beauty aisles around the world. The art of the artificial tan is an arena that will continue to expand as demand for the perfect shade of bronze increases. Companies continue to roll out new products and consumers continue to dish out the cash to try them. [...]

[...] Around the same time, the TV set brought the glamour of Hollywood celebrities right into the living rooms of American families. The modern obsession with physical beauty was in its nascent phases. The sexual revolution had ensured that people were no longer embarrassed about the physical human form. It was instead something to pride in and show off. The 70s and 80s brought a barrage of exercise tapes. The healthy, active image was the aim for many Americans, especially females. [...]

[...] The current trend of artificial tan in the USA : “instant bronze = gold” (2007) A blur of billboards meets the eyes while speeding down the road. ‘Darque Tan' reads one, while two more signs only a blink of an eye past read ‘Solar Retreat Tanning Salon' and ‘Eclipse Sunless Tanning Airbrush Tan.' It's the most popular of all beauty trickery: the fake tan. Hollywood stars, teens, and working adults alike all rush forward to subject themselves to hot beds of lights in the hope of emerging a few shades darker. [...]

[...] Though once a faux-pas of upper society, the perfect tan skin is now a must have among the elite. Darker skin tones have received an image boost aided by the various cultural movements of the latter 20th century, and it is not likely that this trend will fade as quickly as the tans. Indicative bibliography The Indoor Tanning Association. www.theita.com Sun damaged skin. By Ronald Marks. Published by M. Dunitz (London) Sun and the skin. By Ronald Marks. Published by M. Dunitz (London) The Indoor Tanning Association. [...]