The phenomenon known as “tanorexia”
August 11, 2008 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
I’ve heard a number of different definitions for the non-medical term “tanorexia”.
Some people give a label of “tanorexics” to those who tan in order to look thinner. (Darker skin = illusion of smaller body.)
Others say that tanorexia is a disorder characterized by individuals absolutely NEEDING to get to the tanning bed on a regular (daily, even?) basis. For those folks, it becomes an obsession and may or may not have anything to do with creating an illusion of thinness.
Regardless of which urban definition is correct, I have to say that I’m glad I’ve never been even mildly interested in entering a tanning booth for any reason. I have mild claustrophobia mixed with an antsy, Type “A” personality. Mixed together, those tendencies keep me far from artificial tanning devices.
I’m curious… are you a tanorexic? Why do you tan so often? What motivates you to don those funky goggles? Is it a body image thing? Or is it something else?
I used to be… but I was also about 16 at the time. I was at the age when I was extremely aware of my peers’ opinions. It’s when you continue the behavior past that age that it becomes excessive, I think. Not that I should have been doing it when I was 16 either.
It was really strange. It was almost like a competition between certain girls to see who could be more tan.
In that respect, I understand comparing it to anorexia.
I get in tanning kicks once or twice a year when I’ll tan for a few weeks, maybe a month. While I do love how much better I think I look with a tan (and I originally started this lightweight tanning routine over a decade ago), for the past several years I’ve mostly done it because it makes me feel better mentally. It’s not “light therapy” in the strictest of senses, but it does seem to produce the same kinds of benefits for me. I feel better, happier, more alert, calmer and more energized (at the same time!) after I tan. Plus, I notice I crave it more during the fall, and in January or February, than I do in the spring or summer months.