As humorous as this might be, Rajesh Koothrappali (um, Kunal Nayyar), the astrophysicist at Caltech (The Big Bang Theory) gets laid much more than all the other characters on the show.
And why?
In contrast to the "white and pasty" folk that he hangs out with, he sports a natural tan making him exotic (read: attractive)! Yeah right…
Fictitious though the character might be, there is truth in the fact that everyone wants a "tanned" look for reasons not necessarily stemming from wanting to get laid every other day. It's no different with African-Americans, thanks to countless references to the term 'dark chocolate' being used in more contexts than one.
And all this happens while Kunal's countrymen and women (folks from India) make every effort to appear fairer than ever.
(Yup, we don't want what we have even if everyone else is killing themselves to get what we have in the process!)
And as soon as its summer, it's time to hit the great outdoors in order to get a tan not forgetting the suntan lotion or even paying regular visits to a tanning salon.
Yet one wonders which of these two options are better…
Tanning Booth vs Sun – Which option is better?
Round #1:UV Rays
Right off the bat, the kind of UV radiation that one is exposed to when sunbathing is both UVA and UVB radiation as opposed to tanning beds/ booths which heavily favors UVA radiation (almost 95 %) and UVB (3 %).
Since the power of the UV rays used in booths/ beds are 100 times more powerful than the radiation emitted from the sun, the only advantage is that in using a tanning booth or bed, you save a lot of time in getting a tan.
And while the idea of getting a quick tan really takes the fun out of it, these powerful UVA rays can cause a person to get melanoma (skin cancer) as well as cataract as well.
Round #2:What health organizations think
Several health organizations believe that cancer can kill you, as depicted by this video, although the anticlimactic finish would be anything you'd expect. Read this news article to find what happens when you go overboard with this tanning fad as well as this article that outlines the dangers of not being careful while being out in the sun.
On the other hand, a normal day in the sun does anything but, while giving those with a 'sunny disposition' yet another excuse to hang out with his or her friends at the beach or even sip on a beer or two while reading a book.
Round #3: It's all about the money, honey…
Both methods produce Vitamin D in the body (yes, this is what produces the darkening of skin), there isn't much difference between the benefits but with the obvious benefit of getting a tan for free in the sun, you might be spending money in every visit of yours to the tanning salon.
In Closing
Well, and it's no wonder that Dr. Koothrappali was included in People magazine's "30 under 30"…
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi,
Interesting post, firstly I have a question for the Big Bag Theorists, if what you say is correct and the Earth was created with a bang, where did all the gas come from to make it? :-)
Now onto your question of booths or sunlight, the best advice seems to be no more than twenty minutes natural strong sunlight per day, certainly from a health point of view, this would obviously need to taken into account when using a sunbed.
Long exposure to sunlight is not recommended by cancer experts worldwide, I wonder why people still take no notice of this and spend all day laying on the beach?
Keeping out of the sun is also strongly recommended if you suffer from acne