COMMENTARY


	Tis the season, children of the sun

	By Claudia Hibbert-BeDan The Metropolitan

	The sunās coming out, and people are starting to turn pink. It just fascinates me. I like the shade, but some people can bake in the sun for hours and hours. I used to know these girls at my junior high school in California. Every year, they would make a big thing about ćlaying out.ä And every year, theyād burst into flames. I got a sick pleasure out of slapping them on their backs. Their clothes reeked of Noxema, and they walked around like Frankenstein. After theyād go through their lizard phases and shed the dead skin, theyād have tans, but the tragic thing was they never lasted long. So theyād have to bake and burn all over again. Tanning is the craziest ritual Iāve ever seen. All you need is a towel, some lotion, a trashy novel, a squirt bottle, pool or ocean, and youāre set. Donāt like tan lines? Go naked in a tanning booth. One girl said she doesnāt feel healthy if she doesnāt have a tan, so she fakebakes.

	That makes sense. I once read a story about a woman who died in one of those things. She cooked herself from the inside out. A tanning booth is like a microwave oven. And if you donāt put the eyeshields on, youāre risking your eyesight. A salon in downtown Denver doesnāt let anyone stay in the tanning beds for more than 20 minutes. More than that, and it starts messing with the heart. This is why they make their clients sign waivers. They even have a booth, called the Cyberdome, that can tan you in three or four times faster than the conventional booths for only $15. What a deal, and you can get it done during lunch! If you donāt want to get in a booth, you can try self-tanning products. Theyāre like getting tans from a tube. I guess you just smooth it on. But the disclaimer on the ad I saw said if you donāt properly exfoliate your face and body before applying such products, the skin comes out blotchy. Thatās what people want to avoid, I thought. People spend millions every year on oils, lotions, pastes and booth time. Money magazine reported that video stores have increased sales by adding tanning booths. People tell me they like to tan because it makes them feel and look better. But it also causes cancer, premature aging, wrinkling, drying, a leathery skin, and an uneven skin tone. So at what price do you worship the sun? What does it accomplish other than an eerie orange hue? What is the point? It makes me laugh.