Whether you’re a fan of the Twilight series or not, in the next few weeks you’ll be hearing plenty about it as the fourth movie, Breaking Dawn Part 1, makes its way to theaters. I always enjoy the hype around this series, not only because I’m a “Twihard”, but because it makes me feel like I’m part of a movement that’s making pale skin more desirable, seeing that I have a naturally light skin tone.
Since the premier of the movie Twilight in 2008, beauty insiders have been crediting Twilight movie stars Kristen Stewart (pictured above), who plays Bella Swan, and Robert Pattinson, who plays vampire Edward Cullen, for bringing fair skin back in-style. Both stars show off their pale skin when in character and off the set. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these movie stars are the reason naturally pale skin tones seem to be more acceptable, but their stunning natural beauty and fair skin has definitely caught attention.
As more people take the stance that pale skin is “in” and tanning is “out”, my excitement grows for many reasons. Tanning is the skin’s natural defense against further damage from UV radiation. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, darker skin does offer more protection than light skin against sunburn and skin cancer. However, that applies only to people with naturally darker skin. The fact is that tans and sunburns attack the skin’s DNA, in turn producing genetic defects that may lead to skin cancer. Also, repeat unprotected UV exposure can cause premature skin aging associated with sun damage. Despite these warnings, much of the U.S. population continues to tan.
In a study published in the journal Archives of Dermatology, almost 36 percent of women and 12.2 percent of the men aged 18-24 surveyed tanned indoors. If skin cancer and wrinkles aren’t enough to keep teens and young adults away from the bronzing beds, why not use pop culture figures like the young Twilight actor and actress as role models to keep promoting fair skin tones as ideal. After all, Coco Chanel, an influential French fashion designer of the 20th century and cultural icon was credited for starting the tanning trend. It would only make sense to use current cultural icons to help change public perceptions of pale skin as being perceived as sickly, to fair skin being sexy and healthy! Of course, this is only my two-cents.
‘Leave a reply’ below, or comment on the Coolibar Facebook page and let me know if you’re all for the pale skin trend.
Amanda Oberg
Coolibar Blog Contributor
1 Comment
Rose
I have been wondering this for a while: “If vampires were real, would sun protective clothing be popular with them”? If it’s high quality clothing, like the clothes Coolibar offers, I would guess so. I mean, they’d be “staking” their lives on it, right? Ha ha.