As we see a shift towards attitudes to fake tan, this Mayo social media influencer shares why she’s no longer relying on it.
Did you know that Ireland accounts for 60% of Penney’s global fake tan sales. The figure was revealed in the retail giant’s 2023 ‘Pulse of the Nation’ index. While that figure is quite high considering that Ireland has five times fewer stores than the UK, it’s also unsurprising, given just how many of us rely on the bronzing product.
We’ve become so accustomed to the glow in a bottle it feels unfathomable to imagine going to an event, or for some even just leaving the house, without a lick on our skin.
However, the tide seems to be changing as we’re seeing many people put down the tanning bottles and embrace their natural skin instead.
One woman embracing her pale skin is content creator, Molly Roberts, who has been documenting her journey with embracing her natural skin tone on social media for the past year.
Molly says that her strong reliance on fake tan prompted her to take action, “I stopped using it because I realised that I was having super negative feelings and thoughts towards my natural skin tone,” she begins. “I didn’t think it was healthy or sustainable for me to keep fake tanning at the rate I was with how it was impacting my mental health and my perception of myself. I do believe I was addicted to it and that I was experiencing body dysmorphia because of it. Not to mention the time it took every week to do a full fake tan routine and the stained clothes and bedsheets.”
Molly isn’t the only familiar face making this a movement. Celebrities like Rozanna Purcell (who recently celebrated 161 fake-tan-free days) and Angela Scanlan have also been vocal about celebrating their fair complexions. The shift isn’t something that happens overnight, says Molly, but rather a gradual shedding of pre-existing beliefs.
“It’s definitely been a journey and taken time for me. I went from ultra dark to dark to medium. I suppose I did little bits of exposure therapy going outside without it during the day and then at night eventually. I was really self-conscious at first going to events without it especially because it’d be more common for the other girls at the event to be tanned so I kind of felt like I stood out as the palest girl there.”
Molly also says that unlearning a lot of the negativity she held about her natural skin was a big part of her journey. “A lot of the negative self-talk would come up that I felt like I looked sick, or that my veins were very visible,” she admits.
Now, Molly says that her relationship with fake tan has changed for good and she encourages others to be curious too. “I feel much more confident going out, I don’t give it too much thought and a lot more people are going out without fake tan too. I know what colours work for me and what makeup shades compliment my skin best. Changing your mindset is important. Knowing that you are gorgeous how you are, your natural skin tone is beautiful, and you shouldn’t have to feel like you need to change yourself to fit in. You are enough the way you are.”
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