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by It's been such a long time that I've written anything on here, but a story on the Daily Mail website today has angered me enough to launch into a tirade...
Kate Winslet was photographed looking absolutely fresh-faced and gorgeous while out in London. Quite obviously so. Damn it, I'm sure the "reporters" at the Daily Mail thought, we can't have a go at her about anything!
But, eventually, they found something. Dark night, bright camera flashes. Hey-ho, she's a bi pale, isn't she? Well, according to me (ie; pale person) I think she looked brilliant. Never look at someone myself and go, ooh, she's a bit pale, isn't she? What I do do is look at women who have obviously comitted themselves to heavy stint under the sun and go, ooh, she's a bit old and leathered, isn't she? So here Kate Winslet is, her perfect, without make-up skin looking clear and translucent. Yet the Daily Mail claimed she was pale, pale, pale. Oh, and even paler thanks to black clothing. Pale, pale, pale, pale. Another offense for me to take given I dress pretty much entirely in black. Feck me. Imagine them seeing me on the streets. Imagine me being famous. They'd have a field day!
Now. I live in Australia. Bloody horrible-weathered Australia. Home of the sun. Home of skin cancer. Yes, indeed. Images of bodies sunning themselves on beaches are still shown every summer despite their being clear messages regarding the risk of skin cancer. I wonder why people are determined to maintain their leathered looks, given the risks are so obvious. Oh, that's why. Because almost every celebrity known to man is a tan-o-holic and those who aren't are labelled 'pale'. As if that's a bad thing. Oops! Apparently, it is.
So by continuing to celebrate the bronzed bodies that swan about on the red carpet and in music videos, we are telling the public that tanning is okay. Looking bronzed is okay. Do you know what? It bloody isn't.
First of all, and I'll come to the dangers of sun exposure in a minute, but tanning = old, wrinkly skin. Next time you see pap photos of Britney Spears take a look at her chest. She's not even thirty and her chest is covered in sun spots, it's wrinkled, it's dry-looking and is obviously showing signs of long-term sun damage. At the beginning of her career, when that naval of hers was such hot property, Britney Spears spent every moment she could in the tanning bed she had installed in her tour bus. Not only has she put herself at risk, but she's herself look old.
Elle McPherson - have you seen her skin lately? Terribly wrinkled, covered in sun-spots, and the exact leathery oak colour I want my next Mulberry bag to be. Really, is not a good thing when you compare someone's skin to the next leather look you're after. It's horrible, truly it is. And why? Because Elle McPherson was always there, on the beach, sunning herself to maintain 'The Body' that earned her so much money. I wonder if she has insurance in place for all the hospital bills she'll need in the future. I wonder how many cancerous cells she's already had removed from her skin? The paradox is that Elle McPherson is now the spokesperson for invisible zinc. Too little, too late.
So, a few weeks ago I was at the Adelaide Oval enjoying the cricket, and particularly enjoying watching England beat Australia. Yes, I'm Australian, and yes it's practically treason to support the other team. Oh, well. The great thing about the new stand at The Adelaide Oval is the fact that there's so much shade on offer. Gone are the days where you're stranded in the sun in 40 degree heat. However, given this, we'd unfortunately chosen seating right in the sun on the first day. Ever the practical person, I made sure there was a regular application of sunscreen, that I was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and that I covered all skin in the way of the beating sun with a long-sleeved white shirt. I was fine, me. Yet in front of me there was a girl, younger than me, I'm assuming, which a natural reddish tint to her hair and freckly skin. Obviously, a wranger. That's the term we use for red-heads here in Australia. Probably derogatory, but it's a term I love, thank to the success of Summer Heights High ('they're not a race, Jonah'). I'll admit to being a little envious of this girl for I have always wished to be red-headed. I even died my hair a lovely auburn colour while Mr Angela was in Britain, yet upon his return home it was made clear that the look wasn't appreciated. So back to boring brown I went.
(FYI - hair dye has only become necessary since arrival of thirtieth year. Hair on head got together and decided that they were exhuasted, and collectively turned not grey, but white. This also coincided with two severe bald patches on temples which, admittedly, panicked me to a high degree. Oh God, oh god! My hair's falling out. I'm getting old! It's the end of the world... Who knew that a little hair dye and bangs- to cover the bald spots - would be the answer to my woes?)
So anyway, this bird. Skin was very, very dark colour. Like, brown. Like, if she didn't have the features of an anglo girl you'd definately mistake her for another race. Seriously. She was sitting in front of us with most of her back, most of her chest and all of her shoulders and arms exposed. Not once did I see her apply sunscreen. That wasn't what astounded me, though. What astounded me was the fact that this girl had a scar the size of a five cent piece on her back. Immediately, I jumped to the conclusion that this was a cancerous mole she'd had removed and here she was, still in the sun, still without protection. She was with her father. Wanted to smack him over the head and tell him to take care of his daughter. To tell her to cover up at least. Yet, given she was an adult, there's not really much he could do.
At some point, she and her dad got up from their seats. Praise the Lord, I thought. She's going somewhere with more shade. Yes? No, actually. Like the vast majority of the Members she'd gone out the back to take in the Pimms and carnivale atmosphere. I saw her there - standing in full sunlight, might I add, talking to a friend. Showing him a scar on her knee. This one was the size of a fifty cent piece. Caught a whiff of the conversation. Was right. Cancerous mole. Two. Who knows how many others she couldn't see. And what does she do? Continues to put herself at risk.
For those of you who are a little dull and can't quite understand what point I'm making here - that's like being told you have lung cancer and continuing to smoke. Basically; you're giving yourself a death sentence. And it's something that is preventable. It's insane.
Forget the love of tanned bodies. Please! We should all be celebrating the pale form instead. Like Kate Winslet. Yes, I'll admit, as a pale person I'm looking for our kind to be en vogue again. But really, it's about protecting us all from this killer. And here in Australia, skin cancer IS a killer.
If you're out in the sun with a mate, and you see your mate not being sun-smart, it's your responsibility as a friend to make sure they are. Like not letting a friend drive home drunk. The consequences may take longer, but there are still consequences. Like when we had to educate our English friend at the cricket that his bottle of British-bought factor 6 (cannot believe they're still making that) does not cut the mustard in the Australian sun. If you have a bbq for New Years, or even Australia Day, which isn't far away - make sure that there is pleanty of shade for your guests, and that suncreen is available as well.
Be sun-smart. This means sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats (caps are pretty much ineffective when it comes to the power of the sun). Sunglasses. Shade. You know, it's common sense, but seriously, some people still don't get it.
Like certain popular newspapers in England. Fine, so your summers aren't as harsh as ours. So the sun doesn't shine as often as it does here in Australia. Yet the majority of your readers will visit a sun-fuelled destination at least once a year on holidays. And, basically, you're telling those readers that paleness is unattractive, and being tanned is not. You, Daily Mail, were so quick to have a go at the Queen for wearing fur on your site today, yet so willing to celebrate the tanned form. On your site today you said the Queen should be ashamed at herself for wearing fur. Perhaps you should be ashamed, too.
