Back in the day, during the Middle Ages until the late Victorian era, being pale was all the rage. Times change, and so do fashions, so pale skin eventually became less popular. The shift from pale skin to tans goes like this: before the turn of the century, having a tan meant you were poor or toiled in the fields all day; however, in our era, being tan has come to represent having money or leisure time.

That leads us to the present. North Carolina is in the spring, with the sun shining and on most days the air was 70 degrees or warmer for the past two weeks.

Walk around campus on any given sunny day, and you will notice people lounging in the sun, which is a fine way to spend a spring afternoon. But, unless they are wearing sunscreen (and SPF 3 doesn’t count), I have to question the common sense of some of these people.

Tanning is really bad, and people engage in it so often that it’s no wonder that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in America.

People need to take better care of themselves and know the limitations of their skin; instead, all types of people are absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

Everyone is at risk for skin cancer, although some people more than others, so everyone needs to take precautions before stepping out into the sun and lying down by the lake or wherever else the sun shines down on campus.

Many people feel that being pale is not as sexy as having a tan, but how sexy do you think frequent tanners will be in 20 years when they look like Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre because of too much sun exposure?

How sexy do you think skin cancer is?

Taking precautions against skin cancer is really simple: wear sunscreen!

Back in the day, my friends in the town where my beach house is would scoff at my SPF 40 sun block while they applied their tanning oil, but what were they mocking? My health conscientiousness and fondness of my natural skin tone?

There is nothing better than being pleased with your who you are in all aspects, including skin, whether it is naturally light, dark or somewhere in between. Many people seem dissatisfied, and so they take dangerous risks to change things about themselves.

I love my pale skin, and even though I whined a lot as a 5 year old when my mom applied sunscreen to my face, it’s something I should be thankful for.

As well as loving my skin, I am aware of the limitations of my skin. I don’t push it. I wear sunscreen and I don’t stay out in the sun for too long; I have also never been to a tanning bed.

Why? Because I know it’s useless, I won’t tan either way, but I am OK with it. I have accepted my skin for what it is. I get my skin from my pale northern European ancestors, and I enjoy my pastiness.

I just wish everyone else would accept all things natural about themselves too.

I also wouldn’t mind it if being pale was all the rage again!