Weighing Privilege Against the Tanning Bed
When tanning becomes a form of racial tourism
The first rule of tanning is to pretend you didn’t spend hours tanning.
Earlier this year, a senior Trump administration official told The New York Times that the president’s famous tan was owed to “good genes” — not, as former aides have claimed, a result of hours spent begoggled in a tanning bed.
I know his orange skin is a beloved joke. But I promise you he takes it seriously, just like the millions of people who spend their time and money soaking up ultraviolet rays.
Tanning is a popular ritual. It’s a relatively inexpensive way for fair-skinned people to look sexy and healthy. A person born with dark skin can see those benefits as well, but also, they get the cops called on them for hanging out in a coffee shop too long. When you hear the term “white privilege,” what you have to understand is one of the privileges is the ability to change your skin color and suffer no loss of status.
The anonymous White House official clearly wanted it known that his boss is not a vain man who fusses over his appearance. Only Hollywood swells worry about their wrinkles. No, the president’s glow is natural. The man was born attractive and healthy; he can’t help but look sun-kissed. He has good genes — the…
