There has been a tremendous amount of press coverage recently over the dangers of the use of sunbeds and a number of campaigns to encourage young women to think twice before stepping into the booth for a quick fix.
I am as pale as pale can be. And I never really go brown in the summer. And I hate it. Or I did. For years I wished I could tan better in the summer. I won't lie, I thought about using a sunbed on numerous ocassions but never actually had the guts to do so. (My mum would've killed me!) But I know many people who have used sunbeds. And it's an addictive habit. When I have managed to get a tan in the summer it has been a real confidence boost and the minute that it starts to fade I start to crave the colour again.
We are told again and again that "the only safe tan is the one from a bottle". Well, I have used plenty of bottles of fake tan but when you have the option of a quick fix on a bed as opposed to the labourous task of applying fake tan and running the risk of streaks, I know which one I would rather! (I have had many streak experiences!!)
According to a debate in the Welsh Assembly today (yes, I am a geek!!), the fashion industry encourages young women to aspire to a tan. I'm not so sure. I think a celebrity culture has certainly made a tan the norm and indeed the ideal for many young women but the fashion industry themselves do not use tanned models, indeed I would argue that if you look at catwalk models they are often pale skinned beauties.
Even if the fashion industry is not to blame they do perhaps hold the key to changing the trend.
It is great that Nicola - off of Girls Aloud - has joined the campaign to ban the use of sunbeds for under 18s but we need more young women in the public eye to take the lead. It's all very well for one women to stand up and say that a tan is not fashionable but magazines are still filled with photographs of bronzed beauties.
Of course, whilst the white look might not be "fashionable", surely the tangoed look is no more attractive!? I found this photo on the Daily Mail's site - which do you prefer?
Heat magazine has launched its Dazzle Don't Frazzle campaign which is suppoerted by Nicola Roberts. (Join the facebook group here). Check out Polka Dot Stripe Rachel's post on this here.
And what of fake tans? Well I admit that I do sometimes find myself slapping on the orange stuff!! Whilst I can bare with the whiteness of my arms and face, my legs - after a winter of hiding in tights - are such a bright white that you would need sunglasses to look at them!!! So I have been known to use a little fake tan on my legs in the summer months.
So this year, I will do my bit for you ladies and will in the coming months spend some time testing various fake tan brands and will let you know which work and which don't! Look out for these reviews.