With summer here, everyone is breaking out their favorite bathing suits and sunhats and heading off to the beach.  With a high of 91 tomorrow, it brings me to one of my favorite subjects: tanning.

Tanning has been linked to skin cancer, melanomas and other various skin-related issues. But, for some girls that’s not enough to stop them from going after the golden glow. My mom first started letting me go to the tanning bed in the 9th grade. I would look “too pale” in my black homecoming dress if I didn’t go for at least one month ahead of time.  I would lie in the Level 1 bed after spending way too much on tanning lotion that I easily could’ve found at Wal-mart and thinking how confined I was in the little bed. I would pray my bed wouldn’t catch on fire like that one that did last week. No amount of fear or money would prevent me from going, though. In fact, it didn’t provide me enough gratification; I wanted something faster. I started paying to use the super beds- more UV rays, better music being played, a fan. I was a senior in high school and would spend my free period in the month leading up to spring break going to the tanning bed. I would come back from my 15 minutes looking ~fabulous~

I went off to college, where I was essentially broke. I couldn’t afford a tanning membership anymore, so I resulted to putting on a measly SPF 15 along with some Victoria’s Secret Pink Bronzer and lay out by the lake. I came out looking like I had poison ivy rashes covering my body, and later it would go on to peel, making me look like a Cicada shedding my skin.

I took my monthly allowance and returned to the tanning bed. I was over the natural tan. It was too risky(coming from a girl who used tanning beds) the sun had to be just right and the lotion had to be applied evenly or everything would be off. My teacher caught me coming out of the tanning salon one day while she was with her family at Moe’s. She scolded me; she had skin cancer and said I should know better. In fear of her seeing me there again, I took my friend’s advice and started spray tanning. I’m sure it’s a reminder of the early 2000’s, but it is truly the best way, and much more safe.

I’m quite modest, so I don’t like to get undressed, luckily they allow you to wear as much or as little as you please. There are no known side effects and it provides you with instant gratification and the golden look you wanted. While it may be costly, I urge everyone to get a spray over a real tan any day.

Don’t let your daughter turn into the money –blowing, tanning bed junkie I was; let her do something more natural and more safe, even if it’s just the Jergen’s Natural Glow. A nice glow always brings about a confident self.