“The tan is no longer linked to the beach”

How was tanning imposed in the 20th century?

He appeared in the 1920s in worldly circles. A second period, linked to the Popular Front, began in 1936 and continued until the 1960s with mass leisure, the Mediterranean development plan and large popular stations, the development of the campsite … People discover it as a practice linked to the beach.

In the 1970s, we began to talk about cancer and dermatologist Thomas B. Fitzpatrick invented the rating of cream clues to try to protect clear skin in Australia. This notion of protection appears at that time but will take years to settle down and protection strategies will not develop until 1990s.

What makes that, despite the alerts, we continue to expose themselves?

The relationship to light, heat, outdoor, the desire to be connected to nature was a little exalted with the COVVID. After confinement, people got in the sun outside in an urban environment, as in the parks between 12 and 14 hours. They did not necessarily realize that they are sunbathing, because in the past tan was linked to the fact of going to the beach. We must understand that with global warming, we can no longer be exposed in the same way.

Are social networks creating new standards around tanning?

In this space, the private body and the public body tend to be confused more and more. We want to show that all parts of the body can be golden. Tanning is an important sensory experience in our increasingly virtual world. It implies a temporary transformation of the body which is used to testify to this experience.