Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Nope, I No Longer Have Any Interest In Tanning

Summer always makes me think of the time my family would go to Wildwood, NJ for a week in July and have so much fun. We'd stay at a hotel and get a room that had two double beds (one for my parents and one for my younger brother and I). The room also had a kitchenette for storing drinks, snacks and certain items to make a sandwich in case any of us got hungry. The room came with a percolator coffee maker, too, so that my parents could have coffee in the morning. The room also had a table with four chairs that we would use when eating or when my parents played cards at night. Our hotel room resembled a very large studio apartment.

 

Summer also makes me think of the great lengths I went through to get a perfect golden tan. And trust me, I would do anything and use anything to achieve that tan.

I'm sure some of you who are around my age are familiar with using baby oil mixed with iodine, to get that beautiful burnt-to-a-crisp-look. Very similar to the photograph below the post title.

And if the baby oil with iodine weren't enough, I would also use one of these solar tanning blankets...

 

..and it's funny because when I would turn over on the blanket to tan my back, I could literally hear a sizzle sound, as if I were a fried piece of bacon.

And do remember these sun reflectors for your neck and face? I had one of those too!

And OMG, do you remember how popular blue eyeshadow and pink lipstick and nail polish were back in the 60s?

Besides baby oil and iodine, there were other popular tanning lotions that I would use...

I used them all, but Sea & Ski was my favorite because of the smell. l also enjoyed the smell of Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee. Faaaaaabulous scent! 

Oh, and I forgot, I used self-tanners as well. 

On Moving To Florida-

Being that I loved to tan, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when my family moved to Boca Raton, Florida in 1973, because I could tan 12 months out of the year. Our home not only had a built-in pool in the backyard, but we were also only 2 miles from the beach, so I could ride my bike if I wanted to. Which I did.

I would go to the beach with my high school friends on the weekends and we would bake in the sun from 10am to 5pm.  

Many years later, when tanning beds were invented, I used to go to a tanning salon several times a week to keep my tan from fading. I remember working at a hair salon in Orlando in the early 80s, and would drive to my favorite tanning salon to get a quick 20-minute tanning session in between my haircutting appointments. Yes, I was obsessed with keeping up with my tan.

Here are a few tan photographs that I found in my archives.

My Senior Prom-

This was my good friend in high school, Mike. And no, we didn't go to prom together as a couple, although I would have loved to because I had SUCH a crush on him. He took his girlfriend, and I took a date. Which was hilarious because my date and I were both gay, but hadn't come out yet. LOL!

Standing in front of the acting school I attended in NYC. This photo is from a time when I went back to visit New York with my friend Laurel and her husband. We spent about four days there and had such a great time. Anyway, here I am with my Florida tan..

I know this next photo makes no sense when you first look at it; however, there is a story here. This photo was taken when I still lived in Florida and had a really cool job as a prop stylist for a school book publishing company (btw, my friend Laurel also had a job there).  For some insane reason, I took both these dolls and sniffed their heads, and then later wrote the caption, "I love that baby fresh scent."...

And last but not least, here I am pretending to do a BM in the restroom at the hair salon I used to work at in Orlando. Please notice my severe sunburned TAN. I can't remember who I got to take this picture for me, but I'm absolutely sure they thought I was crazy. 

Which I am...

It was in the late-90s, when I started to get disenchanted with tanning. Little by little as summertime rolled around, I'd slather on my sunscreen to protect what skin I had left; no longer exposing it to the sun. And do you know what? I now like the way I look without a tan and have accepted it. Yes, I definitely have sun damage, however throughout my years in the beauty industry, I've been able to find excellent products to help correct some of that damage. 

I leave you with a GIF, that reminds me of my tanning bed days...

BLT anyone?

Have grrrreat week y'all....💗