Boots, the beach, and "nice" weather

[matgb]

I am, naturally, disgusted at this Boots advert. Not, as it happens, because it sends the message that women need to look good to get a man. Nor because it perpetuates the conformity agenda, and also not because it says women are the problem. It does of course send all of these messages, but that's not the biggest problem. The biggest problem?

It portrays beach culture as healthy

And that's a really bad thing. It's getting to that time of year when thousands, nay, millions of idiots will flcok tot he beach in an attempt to 'get a tan' and 'look healthy'. Bullshit.

Those of you that have met me will know that I don't look my age. I look, in fact, about 8 years younger than I actually am (whenever someone asks my age I ask them to guess it first, I've had as young as 21 within the last 6 months). Any guesses as to why? It's because I'm in a huge skin cancer risk group. I've known this since I was 12, a long time before my mother had to have many operations to remove non-malignant melanomas. Skin cancer is a growing threat, especially with the ozone depletion, but it's always been a problem. But even if you don't get a cancer, by tanning constantly you dry and prematurely age your skin, you look much older much faster. So I look younger than others my age, becaue I've not really tanned my skin since I was a young teen.

Yes, I'd rather like it if people in senior positions didn't treat me like a kid on a regular basis, but y'know what? There's a little bit of me that likes being underestimated because of my "youthful" appearance. Because the reality is my appearance is fairly natural; it's the sun-seekers who've aged too quickly, not me. Up until her mid-thirties, my mother was very attractive (seriously). After that, she started aging very quickly. Why? Perpetually brown skin, much sun tanning. Prematurely aged, and eventually gave her skin cancer. Having a deathly white palour is bad for you, this I know. But more than a little exposure is such a really bad idea. Do yourself a favour, don't buy the boots products to "look gorgeous for the beach". There are many ways to enjoy yourself near the coast; I grew up in a coastal resort. Sunning yourself isn't a good one.

A sun tan'll kill you

And on that happy note, I'll turn in for the night, great first day at work today, here's hoping it continues.

Comments

[caseytalk.livejournal.com]

Another way to age your skin is smoking. You can really see it.

[matgb]

That I definitely agree with, I've seen some scarily aged people because of that.

Hmm. I've never smoked and I avoid the sun almost completely. I've found the elixir of youth!

[ginasketch.livejournal.com]

It won't kill me. I tan naturally. mwhahaha.

Melanin in the family= WIN.

Not, as it happens, because it sends the message that women need to look good to get a man. Nor because it perpetuates the conformity agenda, and also not because it says women are the problem.

Nah. It pisses me off more for these reasons.

[ginasketch.livejournal.com]

holy crap. I should read things properly. I just read the bit about your mum. My comments sound really callous now.

Not intended: sorry.:(

[matgb]

De nada; all the others are legit complains anyway, but they'rea lot less likely to actually kill you than the other cultural norm (that isn't really Boots' fault anyway). Not as ba as this one though:
http://community.livejournal.com/graphicdesign/1766755.html#cutid1

I laughed a bit at that.

(it was non-malignant, just growths, not a major issue)

[matgb]

Incidentally; I tan naturally fairly well as well, but it can still kill you, melanin just stops you burning, doesn't stop melanomas &c.

[silentgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

The advert is bad for all those reasons.
Personally.. yeah.. I don't burn, I tend to go a little red, then the melanin kicks in.
But I've not done that since I was fourteen.
Don't do the beach thing really.. we're not a 'Lets go somewhere hot and spend a week on the beach' kind of family. Done it a few times, but that was Bournemouth and we spent most of the time exploring the city.

I agree though.. the thing about sun tan = healthy is complete bull.
and yay for being a non-smoking non-tanner!
youthful complexion ftw!

[matgb]

Aye; I tan easily and well, but I really don't want to. Lots of silly myths around that sort of thing as well.

[susumu.livejournal.com]

To be honest I have no desire to see you in a bikini anyway.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

I, on the other hand, wouldn't say no to that at all... >:D

[matgb]

Now why would I want to wear a bikini? Silly silly things.

Thx for the email by the way, appreciated.

[(Anonymous)]

actually, a problem that they're discovering now is that kids aren't getting enough sunshine, leading to various illnesses not least vitamin D deprication.
Man is made to live in the sunshine. we evolved this very skin to do this very job, and as it's no more sunny than it was 1000 years ago, or 3000 years ago, we must be perfectly suited to the enviroment of our surroundings. Sure, there are exceptions. But a) there's no reason for everyone to follow the exceptions- that's like saying everyone should avoid eating nuts 'cos some people are allergic to them. And b)this time last year you were allergic to sunlight, then you started spending time in the sun and discovered it was just hayfever and a tendancy to burn. Lots of people think they have problems with the sun- very few people do. Very few. Most people are fine unless they're stupid.
I think the whole 'sunlight will kill you all' is another ridiculous symptom of this 'we're all so fragile/how come people are still dying' thing. The human body is not fragile. It is more perfectly suited to its natural enviroment than science can yet account for.
Maybe your mother overdid the tanning thing. More likely- if she was in her mid 30s and had had 2 kids, of course she suddenly started to age. That's what happens when people get older. Yo9u can stay out of the sun, but it ain't gonna stop you aging or dying, it'll just make you that little bit more sickly when you do so. Better idea- Spend as much time in the sun as your body seems to allow. If you start to burn after 15 minutes, stay outside for 15 minutes at a time. Use common sense.
Mmother is redhead, very pale, and has always burnt very easily. As in, she's never tanned in her life. She always loved sunbathing, still does, and would rather be outside working in the garden on a sunny day then sit inside. She rarely gets burnt, but if she does, she does, and she has the face of a 54-year old. Which is fine, as she's 54.
Everything is dangerous in excess, and everything must be tailored to the person. But if in doubt, I think you should err on the side of evolution knowing more about itself then scientists do. I could be wrong, but so far most things have supported my theory.

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

we evolved this very skin to do this very job, and as it's no more sunny than it was 1000 years ago, or 3000 years ago, we must be perfectly suited to the enviroment of our surroundings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_hole

[matgb]

Danke; no idea who our Anon is, pretty sure it's not someone on my friends list from the lack of linebreaks, let alone the appeal to "common sense", but it could be someone forgot to sign in. If so, I'm a little disappointed, as the ozone whole and similar issues aren't exactly unknown or unmentioned above...

Part of me wants to disable anons, not to stop them, but to stop friends forgetting to log in. Ah well.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

I don't see anywhere in that post where Mat said "OMG stay indoors out of the sun all the time!"; he said beach culture is unhealthy. It is. Lying on a beach all day and frying till you look like a lobster is unhealthy.

[matgb]

 

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

[matgb]

she has the face of a 54-year old. Which is fine, as she's 54.

I think you'll find she has the face of what society thinks a 54 year old looks like, there'll be a lot of us 2 ears down the line who look a lot 'younger' than that, and we'll be better off because of it.

Apart from the other comments in reply, it might have been good if you'd actually read what I wrote, rather than tilting at a straw man; at no point did I say "do not go into the sun", yes, vitamin D problems are an issue, but moderation is not avoidance; frying yourself on a beach isn't healthy, end of.

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

Ah, but people are always telling me that I don't look my age either, and I spend quite a lot of time outdoors and have a bit of a tan on the parts that show...

Mind you, thsee poeple are possibly lying so as not to hurt my feelings by telling me that I look like a raddled old git, but if they are telling the truth, I put it down to a sensible diet and never having been a smoker.

I think a certain amount of sunlight is good for you, but you need to be sensible about it.

But yes, it's all down to genetics. If you're fair-skinned and have a lot of moles, too much sunlight is very bad news.

[matgb]

I think a certain amount of sunlight is good for you, but you need to be sensible about it.

Oh, absolutely, moderation is good, I try to make sure I walk around outside a bit every day, etc. But sitting on a beach all day? That's just stupid.


Plus, y'know, spending lots of time outside in Scotland isn't going to get you much sunlight anyway now ;-)

[(Anonymous)]

My main problem with sitting around on a beach all day would be the boredom!

The closest we've ever got was a couple of holidays on Malta, and we spent a certain amount of time on the beach, but I spent most of that swimming in the sea.

Sunbathing just seems like an enormous waste of time to me.

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

Ooops, forgot to log in! Duuuuuuh!

[matgb]

Bwah ha! If forced to attend a beach, then headphones and at least two different books are essential. Plenty of stuff to cover yourself up with is also a good plan.

But yeah; going tot he beach to swim and do exercise stuff is fine, it's the sit and fry that really gets to me...

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

Only trouble is, you go in for a swim and you wash off all the sunblock, then you have to re-apply it.

And I nelieve that sometimes you can burn worse in the water, if the sunlight is bright enough. There's no escape!

Still, it was fun swimming in the Med. Especially since I'd recently learned that Great White Sharks have been known to cruise by around there! :D

[publicansdecoy.livejournal.com]

I've never understood why people think that skin damage looks attractive. Really, what is the appeal of lying down for 8 hours a day increasing your risk of cancer?

-x-

[misscoollinda.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. I look very young for my age too, because I stay out of the sun whenever I can. I have no desire to look older than I do, and I don't want skin cancer. If I DO go to the beach, I can hear young girls talking about me - "Look how white that girl is!" Yes, ladies. I'm pale, and I'm also cancer free. Fuck off.

[indiana-george.livejournal.com]

I personally favour the pale and interesting, or I would if I had no stupid freckles and dark hair, and not a mad definately-not-gingery red blonde frizz.

Also, I don't see the point in frying on a beach all day, when I could be sitting in the shade with a cool drink like a sensible person and not trying to cook myself like a chicken.

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

There are many ways to enjoy yourself near the coast; I grew up in a coastal resort. Sunning yourself isn't a good one.

Hear hear! Not that I can exactly claim to have grown up on the Isle of Wight - we only moved here when I was 14, so my formative years happened in the perpetual sponge that is Herefordshire-nearly-Wales. But even when we came down here On Holiday we found that the best thing to do with the beach was to dig canals in it.

I do tan very fast - annoyingly fast, in fact, because I end up with tacky-looking strap marks in a couple of hours. For some reason I always wanted to look like something by Burne-Jones.

People frequently seem to take me for older than 21, but I think this is more due to my white hair and general air of maturity/world-weariness (delete as appropriate) than to my skin.

[js84.livejournal.com]

[drops the same quote...]

There are many ways to enjoy yourself near the coast; I grew up in a coastal resort. Sunning yourself isn't a good one.

When I read this I instantly thought of boy-racing.

It looks like my period of outdoor volunteering in Norfolk will take place in the winter, so possibly less chance of inadvertently getting sun exposure. [sigh, I wish I could write more about my future, if I knew it clearer]

[sunflowerkits.livejournal.com]

I have to say myself that I do love the sun. I do tan very naturally so am lucky, but I just love the heat from it and the energy I get from it. But will always protect myself. I am really into outdoors stuff and have spent a lot of times exposed to the sun at high altitude, so you do have to develop a respect for it as it can damage eyesight, skin etc.. So even thought I have been exposed a lot to it, I am still managing to maintain my youthful look....most people think I am at least 6 years younger than I am...I even got asked for id going into the intrepid fox last week! Crazy days! My grandmother was a total sun worshiper and spent all her time in it when it was out-she had a tan all year round and was even once mistaken from the back as a black woman. She always said she has a drop of black blood in her! So I must get her skin colouring, but it is not as safe nowadays.

[matgb]

I thought you were a fair bit younger when we met actually, figured out otherwie over the course of the evening but initial impression was about 22ish IIRC, so yeah, you've edone well.

But again; you're outside doing stuff, not just lazing on a beach; taking a calculated risk to do actual useful, fun activities and making sure you stay safe doing it is very different to just frying yourself silly.