Tan

I recently shaved my stomach and chest and am embarrassed at how white they are. I write this while sitting shirtless in the sun.

Different cultures have different ideas of tanned skin. In western cultures it seems desirable, I assume the idea is showing you have money to spend leasuring outdoors or at the beach or in the pool or travelling to sunnier climates.

In Vietnam being tanned is seen as a negative thing, coming from a history that the tanned people were those who were outside working in the fields while the aristocracy stayed indoors protected from the heavy heat.

I would also hazzard a guess that someone who is tanned is likely more healthy than someone who is not. It means they are outdoors and likely active, while someone pale could be alone watching TV in a basement.

We also absord vitamin D from the sun hitting our skin, which I understand to be a vital part of our bodies regulation systems and the lack of vitamin D being one of the reasons people get SAD (seasonal affected depression). Yet we're also warned the sun can give us skin cancer.

I've never really put much intention behind how tanned I am. I wonder why this all of a sudden bothers me so much. Perhaps it is because I am not confident of how my stomach looks in general, and the pasty white color is yet another reason to self conscious.