Orange outcome of tanning deemed sexy, sets colorful trend

By Dulce Arroyo

Popularized by reality television shows like MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” tanning has become a nationwide obsession for men and women alike who strive to keep a glowing, attractive body all year long. But what started out as an orange mass of tanners has now grown to a range of colorful people walking the streets of Chicago, showing off their new shades of skin for the spring.

Tanning salons like L.A. Tan, Ultimate Exposure, and Tancun noticed how devout tanners, mostly teenage girls, kept coming back for more in order to keep their toasty, orange color.

“We thought, ‘If they’re so interested in looking gorgeous in orange, they’d definitely try a variety of awesome colors we could supply’,” said L.A. Tan’s CEO and President Nick Patel. “And it worked, thanks to some of television’s hottest and youngest celebrities; our top colors that customers love are Hot to Trot Pink, Green Apple Margarita, Sapphire Blue, and Purple Majesty.”

MTV’s newest star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi tried out a bold fuchsia tan for a recent red carpet event, and in less than two hours after pictures hit the internet, fans raved about how it was an amazing change.

“She totally rocked that shade with her little black dress—as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to try a different color too,” said high school student Brianna Lamont. “It’s like a new way to make a statement with your body while keeping the same wardrobe.”

“You can’t go wrong with a little experimentation!” said Amanda Richards. “Me and my girls go tanning every week and when we found out about the new colors, we just had to get one. We even take turns using a different shade each time.”

Male tanners have also tried out the new colors, such as MTV’s Paul Delvecchio, aka “Pauly D.”

“I’ve got a tanning bed in my house to keep up that GTL—gym, tan, laundry, baby!” said Delvecchio. “When I saw this sick shade of blue I turned to my boy and said, ‘Yo, we got to try it out on the ladies!”

Although reports on tanning causing melanoma have come from dermatologists across the country, tanners are not fazed from maintaining their images.

“My mom says I could die of skin cancer but like, come on, we’re all going to die some day,” said Lamont.

Samantha Hayes, an employee in Ultimate Exposure, has recently spotted a mole on her back that was not there before.

“I think of it as a surprise beauty mark,” said the 20 year old. “I mean, Cyndi Crawford had one and she was still gorgeous. It’s definitely not going to make me stop tanning—summer’s around the corner and I can’t wait to show off my sexy bronze tan.”

With business booming, Patel also ignores the link between tanning and skin cancer based on his customers’ devotion.

“Girls want to look and feel attractive year-round, so what better way to achieve this than breaking away from their boring, pale complexion?” said Patel. “L.A. Tan is an outlet for those who want to be beautiful by first changing the way they look on the outside. That’s what beauty is essentially about these days, anyway.”

And apparently, tanning fanatics agree.

“Some people call tanning ‘fake and bake,’ but I don’t care,” said Richards. “As long as I’m baking long enough to be delicious, I’ll fake and bake until I die!”