<\/p>\n
As I step out of my car after my 17-hour drive, I let the sun hit my skin and shake off the feathers of a temporary snowbird. I stretch my legs and take off my coat, basking in the light. This year, I join the seemingly thousands of other students making their annual pilgrimage to the South in search of warmth. For me, a week of worship of the sun is to follow, spending as many of the fleeting moments of Spring Break outside. And with me is my holy cross: my 30 SPF Sun Bum sunscreen.<\/p>\n
My story \u2014 though hyperbolic and heavy on religious imagery \u2014 is not a unique one. Across campus, students are returning from a week spent primarily in the sun. Accompanying this blissful break comes the eternal question: Do they bear the burns of a zealous sun fanatic, or have they achieved the elusive Spring Break suntan? <\/p>\n
As a society, we are more obsessed with our bodies<\/a> than ever. We have more freedom now to control how we look \u2014 from bodily adornments, such as clothing and piercings, to more physical changes like makeup and even plastic surgery. Tanning is just one of the ways we alter our appearance. With recent trends toward \u201cnatural\u201d looks<\/a>, it\u2019s no surprise that tanning plays such an important role in the way people spend their time in warm climates. The practice not only feels relaxing<\/a> and stimulates vitamin D production<\/a>, but also marks bodies in a socially significant way.<\/p>\n A tan carries quite a lot of baggage with it. On the surface, it simply means a darkening of one\u2019s skin. You might imagine that in a society obsessed with whiteness, this would be discouraged \u2014 and for a while, it was<\/a>. Tanning was seen as a byproduct of the time spent outside working by the lower class. The upper class avoided exposing their skin to the sun, wearing brimmed hats and using parasols to stay strikingly pale. Yet as history marched on and attitudes shifted, tanning became a vice of the affluent. It was once again a marker of class, but this time of the rich who could afford \u201cluxuries\u201d such as tanning beds and lotion or had the time and money to travel to warmer climates. The narrative shifted, celebrating exposure in the sun rather than demonizing it.<\/p>\n