Did anyone else have parents who would toast themselves to a crisp every holiday?

[Imreallysnowedunder]

Another thread made me think of this. Both my mum and dad would go on holiday and just lie under a baking hot sun on the beach all day. Sometimes they’d briefly dip in the sea but the main portion of the day would be spent roasting.

They would both get extremely narky with me if I sought shade.

My DM loves the sun and gets genuinely, almost irrationally angry with anyone who says it's too hot. That said, I don't think she'd just sit on a lounger all day. I know people who do though, fine if it's what they enjoy but I'd get bored!

Holidayed in Italy a few weeks ago and saw a lady putting baby oil on instead of sun cream. First time I've seen that since 1980s when cooking yourself and peeling all over was the fashion. Needless to say I was under the umbrella wearing F50 as I remember how painful burning could be.

Thanks some of us are naturally like that thanks

I'm probably the age of many of your parents. I never spent all day in the sun as prefer to be doing things but getting plenty of sun around that was a priority. It was as If you didn't come back from holiday with a deep tan, it couldn't have been a good holiday. Also using olive oil to enhance your tan was a big thing (you smelt like a chip pan but didn't half get brown).

Hard to believe now I know!

Absolutely this with my mother. It worked in my favour as DD is horrified her DG skin and smothers herself in factor 50.

My ex and his family, even now, say they have a lovely 'sunburn'! SIL burnt so much on one holiday that she got massive blisters all over her legs and on the flight home, needed urgent medical attention because they swelled to bursting with the changes in pressure. A poor doctor on the flight had to lance and dress them. Gross. Ex just come back from 10 day holiday - burnt to a redneck crisp. I just don't get it.

Wow! This has taken me back! My parents had a sun lamp which the week before a holiday you had to stand in front of in a dark room wearing dark goggles. The time increased every day! Then it was factor 2 ambre solaire oil on the beech in the south of France!

I suppose that's why skin cancer has increased over the years. It kicked off in the 70s, all this sunbathing and package holiday malarkey. I remember someone saying that any sort of tan is just basically skin damage.

I have an Australian mother and was born in the 1970’s. We lived in London. I was covered in light cotton long sleeved tops in the summer and discouraged from being in the sun (I was literally the only person dressed like this) - she would tell us about the skin of people with sun damage in Australia and skin cancer. She has olive skin - we have my fathers Irish skin - so burn . My youngest is ginger and has a blue tone to his skin. Even though he has always been protected from the sun he has already had a mole removed by a plastic surgeon as it was at risk of turning cancerous in years to come. Dermatologist said we should all be wearing sun protection even in the winter and 15 mins of exposure on forearms is enough to benefit from what the sun offers. It’s factor 50 all year round for myself and my son. I’ve finally found one that is non-shiny.

I have naturally golden coloured skin, and look fine in summer clothes, thanks

No, my dad's ginger and we did camping holidays. Even though we went to the (very hot) South of France a few times, we did activities rather than sunbathing.

DH's family are completely different. Hotels in Spain or the Canaries, sun worshipping with tanning oil. MiL still likes a tan in her 80s!

I grew up in the 80s/90s and my dad used to fill a spray bottle up with salty water, baby oil and olive oil.

He used to go brown as anything. No sun cream at all. We however were slathered in it.

He used to swear by dips in the sea to tan better too, going so far as going to Brighton beach for a dip in his lunch hour when he had lorry runs down that way.

Yes, we’re a pale family and when we spend time outdoors it’s more about doing stuff than sitting and sunbathing. Bike rides on the mountain bike trails in the woods, walks, runs, swimming in the sea or the river, that sort of thing. We all just get a bit bored sitting around tbh. I did used to try and get a tan when I was a teenager and beyond the age of having compulsory suncream, but it never worked and it was uninteresting to boot.

These threads are always started by pale people with blue legs that look terrible in summer clothes and hate the fact they go from blue to red and that’s it!
They will try and tell us it’s terrible to be outside
God forbid! But it’s really about something else. I have a friend just like this! Everyone rolls their eyes - we all know she’s uncomfortable with herself

nobody’s said anything about it being terrible outside. Suncream and a rash vest and I’m quite happy on the beach or by the pool all day :). Just because I prefer the pale look and would rather not damage my skin doesn’t mean I have to stay inside all day.

if people want to stay inside that’s up to them as well. You can tell us it’s terrible to be inside but we all know it’s about something else.

i like my pale skin. You can think they look terrible if you want, I don’t like the look of tanned skin but we’re all allowed an opinion.

i am not uncomfortable with myself at all :). Perhaps you are though if you feel the need to change your skin colour, don’t you like your natural colour?

Yes. And now my Mum has had skin cancer several times 🙄

You'd look fine if you were naturally very fair too. And if you were black.

Yes my DM was an absolute sun worshiper. She would even put that oil stuff on that made you burn tan even quicker. Anyone remember those?! But she was olive skinned, so I suppose to a degree, could get away with it. Me on the other hand have always been very pale with freckles and could not stand being in peak sun and no shade for more than about 15 mins without burning

Again, could be down to her complexion, but she always had great skin and looked about 10 years younger than she was. Was probably in the minority though

Mine was the same bippity.
Covered in oil, out topless all day, never seemed to burn.
I was allowed a bit of sun cream for the first few days of hot weather/holidays but I retreated to the shade a lot.

tbh if it wasn’t for the health effects I’d be doing this now. Love laying out in full sun with my book

Bob Monkhouse

Absolutely. Whatever colour your skin is naturally is perfect. I hate people telling me I 'need a tan'.

Oh god yes. No suncream, just there baking for hours! Sometimes my mum's skin would blister and she'd tell me it was all part of the process! As a teen holidaying with them I would be hiding under a parasol with my book, constantly applying and reapplying factor 50 after a swim. I have olive skin that tans really easily so it looks like i sunbathe but really I can't stand the heat.

With my own kids they have rash vest swimwear, hats and suncream. Can't be too careful!

My dad is in his 60's and still does 😂

My mum was and is a keen gardener (even now she is late 80’s). She was always outside and if not gardening she would be in the sun on a lounger, sunbed or chair.

I have never really liked the sun as I burn so easily. This year, (and actually only a week ago) I had a mole removed which was (quoting the consultant) “sun damage”.

The result is scaring me to death and yet I am a shade chaser rather than a sun chaser. I don’t want to be doom and gloom but is a tan really worth it?

My mums reaction when I told her was “but you don’t like the sun and stay out of it” ….

Yes! But please don’t underestimate it.

Yes! Mum used to whip them out too. So cringe

It took me longer than I should probably admit to work out what you meant by the thread title. In my head I was picturing two parents giving themselves a toast each evening and 'cheersing' their crisps together. Along the lines of... 'we smashed today, kept the kids alive and had fun... here's to us' clashing crisps.

That aside.. yes my parents did sit in the sun like this too!