Pale Skin - Is it really that bad?

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Replies

  • pixelberry
    pixelberry Posts: 167 Member
    Bah, I've been called all kinds if names for being pale growing up, one guy even telling me "the sun's free, you know" -- I just don't tan, I burn (sometimes through my clothing & if out long enough without sunscreen, blister). Let haters hate, I'd rather not needlessly expose myself to something that can kill me in order for some shallow jackhole to accept me.
  • TadaGanIarracht
    TadaGanIarracht Posts: 2,615 Member
    "You should have asked me if I wanted freckles. Freckles, long eyelashes, dimpled cheeks, curly hair- are the things that make you like no one else in the whole wide world. Even if you could trade them in on something else, you wouldn't look like yourself anymore. And being yourself is the greatest way to say thanks God, for making me."
  • RainaWalks
    RainaWalks Posts: 72
    i'm dark and think that pale skin is beautiful .... so glad you like your skin...sometimes i wish people would hush up....
  • kschr201
    kschr201 Posts: 208 Member
    Thank you for speaking up on this! My whole life I've had "Oh... you're so pale" "You look like a ghost" "Why do you put sunscreen on, you wont tan that way" etc etc

    I hate it, I honestly love being pale. It's a bit unique and it's beautiful.

    OMG my family says that. "Why do you put sunscreen on, you won't tan.". My sisters and mother have olive skin that doesn't burn at all. I got my dad's. Just because you don't burn doesn't mean you don't need sunscreen!
  • susanwair
    susanwair Posts: 78 Member
    :smile:
    I am a strawberry blonde with blue eyes. I feel pale all the time- but really nothing can be done about it. I do not tan-only burn and we all know how unhealthy that is.
    We are all unique....and some of us just are challenged in the Melanin department.....
  • JenAiMarres
    JenAiMarres Posts: 743 Member
    im tan, and like being tan...but I think pale is very beautiful and think that it takes a truly gorgeous person to pull of pale. and its way better for your skin.
  • angrodriguez92
    angrodriguez92 Posts: 193 Member
    I think all skin types are beautiful, if you have healthy skin. I don't think fake tans are attractive tho, they just look sad really. I'm a pretty pale Latina, and my partner is also pale. There is nothing wrong with it. The people that tell you that are silly. Don't let them get you down. Different people, like different things. Don't let them tell you that you should become their standard of beauty. Like all people should change to suit their preferences. How offensive.
  • steph124ny
    steph124ny Posts: 238 Member
    I'm so pale I practically glow in the dark! I'm Irish and French. It is what it is. I do not try to tan. It's no good for you. I occasionally "fake and bake" if I want to look a bit tan, but that's only if I have to wear a fancy dress or something....
  • teacupowl
    teacupowl Posts: 104
    My grandmother was a redhead, and I inherited her skin. Any sun I get just turns into tiny little freckles. It's funny since both my mom and dad tan like crazy. Like walk to the mailbox, and boom! Instant golden glow.

    It used to bother me like crazy in school. But kids are just cruel, right? I've since gotten over it and love my paleness. I don't hesitant to wear any color, and I actually find it hard to find a color that washes me out. (except red - hate red!) I have super light blonde hair and blue eyes, with a kind of peachy undertone to my skin. I love it now, and could care less about being tan. I'd much rather keep my youthful looks and be skin-cancer free.

    My boyfriend, on the other hand, frequently goes outside to do yard work without sunscreen. He gets pretty dark during the summer, which looks good on him, but it makes me worry. No amount of nagging seems to work either. :(
  • CoriGayle
    CoriGayle Posts: 13 Member
    I've always been made of for being pale, too. I hate it, but always put on a smile and pretend it doesn't bother me. My husband is spanish, and his family loves to make fun of my very white skin. Skin cancer runs in my family as well, so I don't even try to tan at all. I put 100 spf sun lotion on when I'm in the sun because I know if I don't, I will burn within a matter of minutes, and skin cancer is just NOT an option for me. I also have to buy the palest shades of makeup, which still look too dark for my skin sometimes :( Thanks for posting on behalf of all of pale people. I don't understand why it's so fun to make fun of us...
  • Meghatron89
    Meghatron89 Posts: 5
    I had a customer who was a red head & she definitely tanned a lot. To the point where I could barely see her eyebrows & she looked horrible. I'm not a natural red head but I burn really easily with my Irish heritage so I can relate. But honestly tanning is not a priority for me. I would much rather have smooth, healthy skin as I age rather than looking like worn out leather when I'm in my 40's or so. Plus, who want's skin cancer anyways?
  • focus4fitness
    focus4fitness Posts: 551 Member
    My lineage is the same as yours and I have naturally redish brown hair and many freckles when I go in the sun. I personally try to avoid getting too much sun. I like my fair skin too.

    I think a tan looks nice on some people BUT I have also known many people who ruined their skin and when they were older they really did look older than most of the people their age. My poor husband was into sports growing up and he is always getting cancer cut off of his head and face. Not so cool when you get into your 30's and 40's and beyond...
  • dj_phx
    dj_phx Posts: 115 Member
    I'm with you, though I'm blonde not a red head. I mostly get made fun of by my siblings, and my sister's kids though. They all got my dad's olive skin, and I got my mom's pale irish skin. Living in Phoenix doesn't help, I get things like "How can you be so pale with all that sun." I don't tan I burn, and usually get sun sickness if I'm in the sun for too long (though that doesn't really stop me).
  • Leigh_D
    Leigh_D Posts: 356 Member
    Do you think being pale truly is bad, or just different?

    Heck no. Love the skin you're in! Just the way God&Nature made you. ♥
  • poledancing_ninja
    poledancing_ninja Posts: 271
    Pale skin is beautiful <3 Tans are dangerous!
  • butterflimom32
    butterflimom32 Posts: 11
    I am so pale that I can glow in the dark, lol! I am mixed with Irish, German, French, and English ancestry. Don't get me wrong, I do like to tan and every few years or so I will tan in a tanning bed to get a base tan, but the fad kind of wears off I guess. That plus the fact that my dad keeps getting cancer spots and he rarely worked in the sun.
  • RAWBMEOW
    RAWBMEOW Posts: 64
    i'm very fair and i have been told by my dermatologist I have the prettiest coloring she has ever seen. She also says that im going to look amazing at 50 if i keep out of the sun. So i like being fair.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I think pale skin is beautiful and fresh-looking. I would love to be paler, but I spend so much time outdoors that eventually (even with SPF 50) I get tan. :grumble:

    P.S. - I've stayed out of the sun most of my life (except for one summer in high school when I dated a boy who was a lifeguard). I'm 40, but regularly get taken for 25 (or younger - people are always asking to see my 'student ID') Haven't had a student ID since I was in college nearly 20 years ago. I think a big part of the reason for this is that my skin still looks nice - probably largely because I've stayed out of the sun.
  • Kenzietea2
    Kenzietea2 Posts: 1,132 Member
    Apparently those people don't have your health in mind... skin cancer is a killer. You're doing the right thing by maintaining your paleness :) I am lighter skinned too, and as much as I do love the way a sun tan looks on myself- I'd rather skip the sun damage and skin cancer any day. Bring on the sunblock!
  • spectralmoon
    spectralmoon Posts: 1,179 Member
    I got over trying to tan years ago. I'll stick with being pale, even if my natural dark hair contrasts "too much". Better to be fair now than have lizard skin at 60. :P
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
    Lmao...Im a red head with a ton of freckles & very pale skin...The pale skin comments gets old after a while! "So like you can't tan at all?" "Have you ever tried tanning?" "I would die if I were that white!" "You'd look so funny if you had a tan" ...Like wtf people!? Haters gonna hate ;)

    Oh & people get super pissed when you respond with "have fun looking like a paper bag in 15 years..." Oops.
  • focus4fitness
    focus4fitness Posts: 551 Member
    Lmao...Im a red head with a ton of freckles & very pale skin...The pale skin comments gets old after a while! "So like you can't tan at all?" "Have you ever tried tanning?" "I would die if I were that white!" "You'd look so funny if you had a tan" ...Like wtf people!? Haters gonna hate ;)

    Oh & people get super pissed when you respond with "have fun looking like a paper bag in 15 years..." Oops.

    hahahhaa I saw this lady last week who I swear looked like a leather purse. It was so gross. I was like "WHY???" bleh
  • tzeoli86
    tzeoli86 Posts: 75 Member
    My wife is pretty pale and I love it!
  • GaidenJade
    GaidenJade Posts: 171
    I used to hate being pale, but I don't mind now. I don't tan evenly anyway and it just made me look dirty. Besides, there is NO way I want to turn orange with fakeness or like a crocodile because I've damaged my skin. So I am pale, I have red hair and blue eyes and I am BEAUTIFUL! :drinker: :flowerforyou: :happy: :tongue:
  • blueiiidCorissa
    blueiiidCorissa Posts: 9
    I'm not a red head but I am very pale with freckles. I also don't tan well even when I try...mostly burn and freckle lol. I embrace my pale flesh and don't mind blindin anyone with these bright white legs....my ex used to always tell me to tan, and I'd look better tan...well buddy...I'm white that's how God made me....so I say embrace your paleness. :D Besides people who are super tan look fake and usually a lot older than they really are. Pale don't fail! :)
  • MontagneGitane
    MontagneGitane Posts: 127 Member
    I used to tan until I lost a good friend to skin cancer at age 34. Nothing is worth that risk. Plus, you can always tell a woman who was a heavy tanner because they end up looking a good ten years older than their peers by the time they're in their 30's- 40's.
  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    From a guys perspective I think pale is beautiful, my wife always gets on me for checking out the fair skinned freckled ladies.
  • iqnas
    iqnas Posts: 445 Member
    Paleness is attractive :)
  • Miss_dannii
    Miss_dannii Posts: 1,351 Member
    I just feel way better about my body when I have a spraytan. It's just me though I'd never look at someone else and think they'd look better with a tan. I just know that I feel slimmer and sexier when I've got one

    x
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Anyway, where do people of MFP fall on the spectrum? Do you think being pale truly is bad, or just different?

    Im freakishly white... Im so white that my legs are whiter than my arms!!!!!!! Family used to tell me that while as a kid growing up, when I had color to my face, they knew I was sick or coming down with something....

    Im dark auburn/brown naturally colored hair, bright blue eyes.
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