about pale skin?

[Thurlow]

I'm down south, so it's going to be baking today. I'm not wearing tights, which is perfectly acceptable in our office.

Now I'm as pale as they come, especially my legs. I just don't tan at all.

I have had TWO comments already today from people - "blimey, you're brave, getting your legs out when they are so white!" Both from colleagues who were wearing dresses with no tights themselves, so it wasn't even a subtle dig at that. One then started a conversation about whether or not I'd considered fake tan.

Why is pale skin seen as so bad? Why shouldn't pale people wear skirts and dresses the same? Why should we go through all the faff and cost of fake tanning?

First world problem, I know, but it's really irritated me not already grumpy with the heat and crappy air conditioning

I can't stand the thought of fake tanning. Unless you pay a fortune to have it done professionally I never think it looks that good. It certainly wouldn't look very good if I did it myself It's enough of a pain in the arse to make sure my hair looks vaguely decent and my eyebrows aren't wild, I draw the line at fake tanning as well!

DP occasionally makes comments. "You should sit outside for a bit, you might catch a bit of sun..." This is a man who thinks he might fancy tanning a shade darker, and just seems to manage it by thought alone. Sod off!

I agree, we are all pale, DD especially so and people comment on her whiteness. She is now badgering me to get her some fake tan, she is 13.i don't remember fake tan even being an option when I was her age and wonder when and how did the orange look become so popular.

Sales of fake tan drop by 25% in 2014.

None of the 'cool' teens seem to wear fake tan.

TripTrapTrip I hear you! If you squint at me there is perhaps a slight colour change.
When I was in LA with DH and the kids I'd sat on my lounger with my book actually in the sun for once but didn't use any protection. By evening I was exactly the colour I'd started out with that morning. DH and the kids were all tanned.

I like seeing pale people, they tend to look better than some orange fake tanned people.

Umm, that's not what I meant 'Worra' people can't comment on black skin in general, if they said they thought it was hideous and looked awful, should be covered up or changed they'd be in trouble. But people can say as much as they like about proper white skin and that's perfectly fine and acceptable, apparently.

I know what you mean, TripTrap. You wouldn't say to someone with black skin "wow, you're brave, wearing that skirt when your legs are that dark."

I have pale skin and I love it my skin always looks clean and fresh fake tan just makes people look Grubby . Take no notice

Well ok but if a black person said, "White skin is hideous, looks awful, should be covered up or changed", do you not think they'd be in trouble too?

Of course they would.

Although no one should say 'ugh you look so pale and horrible' you can't really compare it to someone making derogatory comments about a black person's skin colour. White people haven't been on the receiving end of centuries of prejudice for their colour.

Of course they would, Worra

All Trip was saying was that it is somehow seen as appropriate by some people to comment on how pale/white some people's skin is, when you clearly wouldn't say the same thing to someone with black skin.

No, Fraggle, they definitely haven't.

Still bloody annoying at work though!

Yanbu. I'm always particularly impressed when it comes from someone who's either damaged their skin to get it darker or painted themself. To each their own, but why anyone who does either of those things would imagine themself to be more worthy of display is mystifying. And in my experience it usually is them. Naturally darker skinned people don't seem to suffer from this particular delusion. I think because sometimes when someone has put effort into making their skin look darker, they think its some kind of achievement.

I'm sure it was annoying! I think it's rude to comment on a person's appearance unless it's to say something nice. I'd have given them a death stare if they'd said it to me......which they probably would have as snowmen looked bronzed compared to me.

Another one here who is whiter than white and pretty much unable to tan. I get more comments about it here in France, including from random passers by and strangers on the beach.

I do get indignant about it and try to feel smug that I won't get wrinkles from persistent tanning. But mostly I do wish I could tan and not have to wear factor 50 all the time to prevent burning. Tans seem to air brush over a multitude of sins eg cellulite, spots, veins, scars...white skin shows them all up so much! Plus it is a royal pain having to be obsessive about sun cream all the time.

I am very pale of leg too thurlow and would get my legs out, no problem, if they were only milky white - it's the broken veins and red blotches emphasised by the surrounding pale skin I want to hide!

I did that sort of awkward laugh and then hurried on to MN to bitch about it rather than saying something to their face

X post with riverboat it's a pita, isn't it?

I was once told by an old Italian lady that I looked like mozzarella riverboat! Who doesn't love a bit of mozzarella?

I think that's a really horrible thing to say, there's nothing wrong with pale or dark skin, some people truly live in the Stone Age.

When I was on holidays abroad many years ago some locals said they referred to Irish and British women's legs as 'plucked chicken legs' - not the look my friends and I were after

Triptrap actually black people get told they are to dark all the time

I'm feeling all your pain! Mozzarella indeed...

Another annoying thing is all the lovely white floaty dresses in the shops right now (and every summer). I love them but they look ridiculous on me as I'm the same shade as the dress!

I am really happy that DP loves my pale skin though and tells me so regularly. He's not even a big compliment giver in genetal but for some reason my skin is an exception. I have very soft skin too - I wonder if it is due to never tanning, if it preserves the texture of your skin more? Anyone else find this?

Possibly, river - I do still have quite soft skin and no real wrinkles yet at all

Fraggle maybe the old Italian lady meant soft and milky looking (which I would take as a compliment)? Or did she say it while laughing and pointing?

another pale legs signing in that can't be bothered with the faff of fake tanning...
I do tend to have the sheerest of tights for office though but evenings and weekends then the world will just have to cope with my white legs...