by Stephanie Stuart

Created on: July 12, 2008   Last Updated: July 21, 2008

People ask me all the time, "You live in Florida? Why go to the tanning bed?" My answer has always been the same. Part A is that I don't have time for the sun. It takes an hour to get to the beach, then another hour or hour and a half to actually get some color. Nope... other things to do. Part B of my answer is that tanning is 15 minutes where no one can call me, talk to me, bother me, prod me, poke me, etc. Of course I understand the risks, and the health warnings, but those same warnings are on cigarette packs, and last time I checked, cigarettes are killing many more people than tanning beds. I personally like the way I look when my skin is that perfect shade of golden bronze. Maybe that seems vain, to put the way I look before the health of my skin, but again, plastic surgery is dangerous, and people do that every day. To me, the bottom line is that there are thousands, even millions of things that are dangerous in our world. Many of these things could kill us instantly, or pose possible long-term health risks. We choose to do these things, and ingest these products continuously.

Have I read the research and the facts? Yes. But 15 minutes in a controlled environment, where I can push the stop button at any time, to me, is a lot safer than 3 hours in the baking hot sun, with water all around, helping to reflect that sun. I watch people leave the beach all the time, and they look like they have been run over by a truck. They're sweaty, and hot, and usually dehydrated. They think nothing of getting into their cars and going for a drive. After my short tanning session, I'm refreshed. I feel just as awake as I did before I went in to tan, and more often than not end up running errands afterwards. No fatigue here.

Who doesn't enjoy that sun-kissed look? It helps your self esteem. It makes your clothes look better, and gives the appearance that you are a little slimmer than you may be. If you've been lying on the beach, you have some nasty tan lines to deal with. If you've been in the private tanning bed, you can wear a halter top or tube top without having to blob on some self tanner to try and even out before you go out for the night. Girls, we all know that no one is jealous of the girl with the bad tan lines, no matter how cute her shoes are. So I've said it before, and I will say it again. There are tons of vices in this world. I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, and I am not a heavy drinker. If my vice is having a bronzy glow all year long, then so be it.

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