to be astounded at the number of people stripped off sunbathing in the park when everyone knows how BAD that is for you?

[LadyBiscuit]

In an era when smoking is more or less banned and the government spends a fortune telling us to eat better and drink less, why are so many people so obsessed with getting a tan when we all know how bad it is for you?

Apart from skin cancer, all the sun worshippers I know look much older than they really are because they are so lined from lying in the sun.

YABU, if people enjoy doing that and they are wearing suncream then why stop them.

Ive spent the afternoon lying in the sun, eating burgers and hotdogs, drinking wine and generally enjoying the fact that my parents had the kids and we could have a nice relaxing day and I didnt have to worry about DS being downwind from the spliff smokers!

Havent burnt though. Damn legs still look like milkbottles. Grr

Nah you're right trillian, I'd rather be gardening

I wish I had a garden, but not sure how much I'd enjoy the gardening. Would rather somene else gardened and I could lie in it

Why do you even care though? So you don't like the sun, fair enough. But it bothers you about other people? I hate camping (for example) but could care less that others want to do it!

I'm with the OP on this, never have understood the need to sunbathe - yes be out and about getting your vitamin D (too many people just dont do any walking/outdoor exersize thesedays) but lying out in it for hours on end. OUCH!

I have no doubt that MOST of the people I see showing off their lobster red shoulders/back (look at me, no strap marks) in the supermarket WERE NOT wearing suncream and ARE firmly in the "cancer will never happen to me" camp.

Have seen someone die of skin cancer and its not nice - he was a labourer, outside with his shirt off, burning over and over again.

and people do this deliberately, all in the name of wanting to look tanned.

No thanks, but each to his own........

thecatate - if you could care less that means you care some, because it is possible to care less than you currently do.

Here is a diagram

(I just love the diagram, bring it out at any opportunity, don't mean anything nasty)

It's human nature to pretend that nothing will ever happen to you. Skin cancer happens to other people, lung cancer happens to other people. Yes, you know what you are told but many people shrug their shoulders and put it out of their minds. And if it does happen to them, are shocked. Well, I know I went on a sunbed every day for 30 years but I never thought I'd get cancer...

It's refusing to face anything that points to our own mortality. I might die? of something? at some point? nah, not me.

We all think we're going to live forever. We all know we're not going to live forever but we all think we're going to live forever. If that makes any sense

But like thecat says, do you care about the possible fate of strangers when it has no effect on your own life? Well, I guess whether you do or not depends on your personality. Some people care about other human beings, some do not.

I am probably in the 'do not' camp.

I don't really care cat. I just happened to walk past a load of people lying next to the main road in bikinis turning various shades from bright red to brown and my DC asked me what they were doing. I couldn't explain it and thought it would be amusing to start a thread. Nothing sinister, I haven't been stewing about it my entire life, it was just a casual bored, trying to distract from the football catastrophe OP.

What a lovely story, good luck with your new family OP x

yes am with you football wise, fair enough!
And put the Venn diagrams away trillian, I know what I meant, at least!

But I love my diagram!

Erm wrong thread, sorry!

yes, well, I love my tan!
Shall we just call it pax?

That is a fabulous diagram trillian - I shall bring it out at every opportunity when talking to an American

I love my tan too

i hate this sun is evil attitude, some sun is good for you, vitamin d and all that

so let them enjoy it will go in a week anyway

as for IVYKATY 44. well where do you draw the line! everything has risks associated

Im with expatin scotland!

I would say being sensible in the sun was a better idea without 'lacing' milk supplies to be honest.

Which brings me back to my earlier question - what do women who wear a jilbab/burqa do to get enough sun?

Take supplements?

I was thinking about women who don't have a garden really Riven - so many families can't afford a place with a garden.

I'm not having a go, just thinking that there must be ways around the lack of exposure to sunshine or rather a lot of women would have collapsed in a heap!

oh, does that put sun tan's up there on the 'to be judged' list too now? Good lord!! I have gone brown without trying this year, so has DD, we've been covered in factor 50+ and just going about our business...well and play.

As for lying in the sun... it's quite nice occasionally, if you shut your eyes you can pretend you are lying next to the pool on that holiday that you can't afford for the next few years...

I don't see why you need to go red though but I do think sun protection is ridiculously expensive!

I don't think the OP is being all that unreasonable... 'astounded' might be a little strong, admittedly, but you can certainly wonder why some people persist in being so daft.

The little huddle outside every office determined to keep smoking come rain or shine. Yes, the ones going lobster pink on the beach or in the park... or worse, queueing up at the local 'TanTastic' salon for a turn on the George Foreman. Those still driving and texting at the same time. I wouldn't mind but we seem, as a species, to ignore the high-level risks at the same time as getting irrationally upset about the low-level ones... "A mobile phone mast in the next street!!!? Death-trap! Now pour me another glass of wine"

YABU. How do you know they are not covered in factor 30 sun cream?