From Elizabeth Bennet to Barbie: Sun Tanning Through the Ages
Never mind the little black dress; Coco Chanel’s most lasting contribution to the world of style—and, unfortunately, to dermatology—may well be the suntan. For centuries, in a fashion statement freighted with racial undertones, women around the world coveted a fair complexion. Ancient Egyptians lightened their skin with myrrh and frankincense. Eighth-century Japanese women risked death, using lead and mercury as whiteners. Intent on showing they had never needed to labor under the sun, 18th-century Europeans followed suit, adding whale blubber for good measure.1 The Castilian nobles cultivated skin so translucent their veins showed through, making them the original “blue bloods.”2