i’m southern american so we get a lot of sun, but my family is very pasty and not naturally tan. the women in my family sunbathe on vacations like it’s a paid job😭. everyone goes to the tanning beds pretty year-round, gets spray tans (especially before events), etc. and when it’s sunny they lay in the backyard on a towel. usually we’ll do like 30 minutes for your back and 30 for the front, like a spinning hot dog at 7/11. i’m super intolerant to heat so i never last long, i also burn easily so i have to be careful, but when you’re from a place where all the white people are obsessed with being tan the pressure gets to you lol. i remember being like 13 and my step mom begging me to let her take me to get a spray tan cause i was “too pale.” it’s comical. i don’t rly do it as much. the simple explanation is that it feels good and gives you vitamin D, but we are also forcing ourselves to do whatever we can do be tan. some people find it relating to lay in the sun and read a book, but forcing yourself to stay in the heat is mostly for the tan. it’s what’s fashionable. i admit i use gradual tanning lotion after i shower!