Do you think white people wish they were a bit dar

[NuSapiens]

Tanning covers up skin imperfections and smoothes out unattractive bone structure by reducing contrast (just as light hair does). People with nice features sometimes look better untanned, because then the features can be seen.

[hanan]

NuSapiens said:

Tanning covers up skin imperfections and smoothes out unattractive bone structure by reducing contrast (just as light hair does). People with nice features sometimes look better untanned, because then the features can be seen.

This is interesting. But I would argue that even attractive people look better tanned. Even those with gorgeous faces benefit. Contrary to Dienekes, I don't think light skin ever looks that great. A study was conducted on the subject and raters consistently gave the 'tanned' version of people higher marks for sexiness.

[mike2]

It depends on the type of light skin in my opinion. If it's lily white with no skin imperfections, then it's great. Ruddy, reddish, so-clear-you-can-see-the-veins or otherwise unevened skin is generally unattractive because the color pattern is not evened out, but blushed and all over the place. A tan will give the skin a more perfect look, but that doesn't mean in my opinion that it is always better to have a tan than not to have one. I'm quite pale, but my Greek half gives my white skin an olive complexion, so instead of being ruddy, I'm sallow. Not swarthy, but sallow, like a light-skinned East Asian. Lucy Liu is quite light, but her complexion is not ruddy and so she is still quite attractive. Many British Atlanto-Mediterraneans are pale, but they're still generally attractive.

[SensoUnico]

Gothics do dye their hair jet black, blacker than any real black haired person's hair but the skin is always super white highlighted by powders and creams to appear as white and bloodless as possible. So it is an extreme look they go for, not a darker caucasoid look.

[NuSapiens]

Some people become very ruddy when they tan, and this can look less attractive than untanned skin for them.

[mike2]

NuSapiens said:

Some people become very ruddy when they tan, and this can look less attractive than untanned skin for them.

Good point, when the skin looks more orange than it does brown, the person was probably better off not tanning. I mean, nobody wants to look like a walking sun.