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 get this all the time! Despite being pale, I actually don't burn easily and am careful anyway.
Funniest was a friend on holiday who has a kind of naturally tanned look to his skin going on and on for hours about how I was going to burn and how it looked awful. Next day he was bright red and very ill, and I was fine (but still pale!). Funnily enough I'm an adult that knows my own skin and about sun cream.

The stink of fake tan from sitting in a room during cabin crew training was enough to put me off it for life! Another pale and interesting here...

Also pale here! Don't give a rats behind what anybody else thinks. My skin gets whatever sun it gets from walking around and that's it!

We aren't allowed bare legs, in fact uniform rules are black tights only. Doesn't stop one of my colleagues nick naming me "Casper" as I'm so pale!

Doesn't really bother me at all

I'm really hoping tans do go out of fashion. It's all a bit ridiculous really especially when we know how bad too much sun is for you. I certainly can't be bothered with fake tanning and I'm sure I know fewer people who bother these days.

I'd just say either I don't want to grow old and leathery from over exposure and the orange look isn't really my thing.

I have given up on fake tan on legs. Every one is orange.

Valsoldknickers she was chuckling and patting my arm as she said it and there wasn't any malice so I didn't take any offence.

Yes yes black women are so lucky nobody negatively comments on the colour of their skin. The catwalks, movies, TV and fashion magazines are usually full of them where their colour is celebrated compared to pale skinned white ladies .

Not trying to derail the thread but let's keep things in perspective. It must be upsetting being joked about because of a feature you can't change which there is nothing wrong with anyway and that you and your loved ones probably love about you but please don't start comparing it to women who've been abused for centuries solely because of their darker skin tones. You can be annoyed with what's happening to you without starting whataboutarry.

I don't bother with tanning. I'm 43,but am constantly shocking people with that fact!
Unless naturally olive skinned (like my Dh and two of my children) then you will ruin your skin.
YANBU at all. You shouldn't feel bad about exposing your beautiful limbs.
I have a relative that is almost boastful and chuffed with the fact she tans. Well, she is ronsealed actually. On a regular basis she makes cutting comments about people with four skin-calling them "pasty"
Getting a tan, is without fail, her greatest achievement in life!

I look horrible with a tan. Much better in my normal pale state. People always try to convince me of the perks of tanning but I just say in an offhand way 'nah, I like being pale thanks'

People don't tend to push it past that. If they do ask why they care about your legs so much.

Four skin? pale skin l mean.

I agree Capricorn.

I look back on my fake tanning say and feel weary for all the effort I put into being slightly orange. All that faffing on a Thursday night.

Good, unblemished, pale skin is lovely in any light.

Bad, blotchy, mottled, cellulitely pale skin in the right light is lovely. In harsh light, it can look, well, blotchy, mottled and cellulitely.

I have the latter type of pale skin. I don't care if you want to bare your own pale skin but my legs only come out in the right kind of light or when they have a tan.

I'm extremely pale too op, I often dread summer for this reason!

I rarely get my legs out to be honest, but the older I get the less I care about what people think. I'm so pale all over fake tanned legs would look ridiculous on me.

It does have to be very hot for my legs to be out!

My pale skin is very soft though, my dh always comments on it :)

I have the latter type of skin, too, but I'm buggered if I'm going to be pale, mottled and sweaty on a hot, muggy day like today because I'm covered from head to foot.

I accumulate a lot of shiny red scars on my arms from a DS with ASD who goes through phases of scratching me. They make my arms look dreadful. Getting a little sun exposure seems to be the only thing that fades them.

shoes - you asked when tanning became fashionable. It was in the early 20th century (1920s-1930s) when taking glamorous holidays on the French Riviera or in the Alps or on Mediterranean yachts could only be afforded by the rich. So a tan was a sign of wealth. It fitted in with the fashion for sportswear/androgynous clothing pioneered by Coco Chanel and others. In the 1950s, the Riviera link was re-emphasied by film stars eg Bardot in newly-invented bikinis (worn by dancers/gymnasts in antiquity but 'rediscovered' as a style in 1946); tanning also came to be associated with very expensive early jet-travel to 'exotic' holiday destinations such as the Caribbean or South Africa.

I'm v pale and can't be arsed with fake tanning.

In the summer my bare legs will be out and if I'm in the sun there will be SPF 50.

Firstly I'm happy with what I look like and don't think I should have to dye my skin to please someone else. Secondly I work with melanoma patients - they can all tell you about great tans they had on holiday

the older I get the less I care about what people think

Oh, definitely. I don't think I would have got my legs out like this a few years ago. Now I can't be arsed. It is hot. I am hot. I want to wear a light dress and no tights, thank you very much.

E45 do a nice shimmery body lotion that's good for disguising any veiny, mottled bits.

Flora, that's a brilliant answer. I wasn't expecting so much detail, thank you :)

I'm also milky white, coupled with red hair! I refuse to hide my legs away in summer and get a lot of 'gosh, you've brave. Your legs look like they belong to a ghost' comments. I used to go down the whole tinted moisturiser route but realised I actually like being pale and everyone else can either get over it or stop looking at my legs

Fraggle, what lotion is that?

I am pale and proud.

Have tried tanning and fake tans etc but I look bloody ridiculous...boiled and uncomfortable, or dirty orange. Yuk.

I'm old enough now not to worry about it and I wear what I like, skirts shorts, whatever. I do however, try to moisturise a lot....pale, flaky skin isn't a nice look.