I'm surprised that in my months here, I've yet to hear anyone bring up the subject of tanning. Common wisdom suggests that in North America, a golden brown glow is SMV+ for white males, pretty much without exception.

I work days indoors and play sports evenings. This means I can go an entire summer without the slightest tan. I've been called pale, pasty, I look like a ghost etc etc. If anyone thinks these are compliments then I'd like to slap them in the head via the internet.

Doctors tell us to avoid the sun at all costs. It will kill us, they say. The whiter the skin, the better, they say. This is despite the fact that light skinned people suffer far greater rates of skin cancer than dark skinned people. This is despite the fact that indoor workers suffer far greater rates of skin cancer than outdoor workers. Mainstream science doesn't even dispute this. It simply takes the evidence that "tanning is healthy" and magically jumps to the conclusion that "tanning is unhealthy". Try googling for real evidence that sunlight/tanning is bad. You won't find the evidence. But you'll find plenty of conclusions that it is.

I would say the "avoid sunlight/tanning" trope is just as pervasive and bogus as the "low fat diet" trends of the last 20 years.

If you're a ghostly white boy like me, and you live in a sunlight challenged climate, I strongly suggest you look into tanning salons. They don't require much of a time commitment, and the prices can be fairly reasonable. Just make sure you choose the proper lotion to avoid drying and unnecessarily aging your skin.

The reality is that pasty, ghostly skin is unattractive. It accentuates bags under the eyes and other blemishes. It makes you seem unhealthy and even unapproachable. This turns away women at a biological level; women are programmed to find a healthy mate, after all. Even if you need to resort to tanning salons, it's probably well worth it. But for the love of god, stay away from the spray cans, please.