“You should really get a tan.”

If I hear someone tell me this one more time, I think I’ll scream.

Yes, I know I’m as pale as it gets, but why does that mean I need to get a tan?

“It’s summer! You should get a tan,” and, “It’s winter, you should get a tan,” are statements I never understood. There are people who have tans all year round, and there are people who are pale all year round. Both are gorgeous.

In my mind, if my skin doesn’t tan in the sun naturally, I don’t want to go out and lay in a tanning bed, get a spray tan or slather on tanning lotion.

I’ve never been in a tanning bed (and I definitely don’t plan to), nor have I gotten a spray tan. I feel that a tanning bed would be unsafe for my skin. And I don’t think the lightest shade for a spray tan would look natural on me.

I have used tanning lotions before. Some made me look yellow and others made me look orange. I didn’t come across anything that looked natural on me.

But that’s also my point — a tan isn’t natural on me.

Most days, I worry about the sunscreen on my skin, not the tan I don’t have. Even if I do get a tan, I’d have to apply sunscreen over it anyway. The sunscreens I purchase are usually ones that leave a sheer, white layer of product on my skin after the lotion dries. So is there a point of getting a tan that looks natural (which would still be quite light) and then putting sunscreen over it only to have a sheer layer of white lotion on top of the tan? I don’t see the point at all.

It’s annoying to have pale skin when I have to battle the sun, but I’m not going to change my skin tone because of that. This skin tone is all I’ve known my whole life and I’m sticking to it.

But that doesn’t mean that you should’t get spray tans or use tanning lotions. If you’re all about it, go for it! I know gorgeous ladies who tan and gorgeous ones who don’t. It’s all about doing what feels best for you. Do whatever makes you happy and feel comfortable and confident.