Pasty And Proud
As a white male, white referring to almost being bleached, tanning isn’t necessarily a part of a daily routine.
Tanning has caused over 76 percent of Melanoma cases for patients under 30 years old. It is the second-most-common cancer in high school students.
With Prom going hand-in-hand with tanning, it is extremely relevant at this moment. Everyone is pushing through those tanning salon doors to get the “perfect glow” or they already have gotten it done.
What most don’t know is that it is doing more harm than help.
“I don’t tan because I don’t want to become a victim of Melanoma,” Tekamah Herman High School student Emily Powell said. “I stay away from tanning beds to avoid my brother telling me, ‘That tan makes her look like a dorito.’ I can, and did, have just as much fun at prom without visiting a tanning bed first.”
Powell was last year’s winner of “The Bed Is Dead” contest. With her post on instagram she was able to get a few hashtags trending on the topic; #take the pledge and #the bed is dead.
This program could help so many people not only be informed on the cancer itself but also precautions for tanning and knowing how to protect one’s skin. “The Bed Is Dead” campaign needs to be spreading like wildfire through the U.S so more teens can be aware of the danger of tanning.
“I’m sick of seeing young women die from a preventable cancer.” Dr. Dave Watts, skin cancer surgeon at Dermatology Specialists of Omaha stated in Lincoln Journal Star.
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer a person can have. There are at least 200 thousand to three million cases in the United States each year.
Melanoma occurs when something with the cells that produce pigmentation isn’t right. Usually symptoms include weird lumps or dark spots anywhere on the body or any changes to an existing mole or freckle.
The main cause for this cancer; indoor tanning.
This program that Powell and many others have taken a part in is a huge contributor in trying to stop skin cancer. It was established last year to focus on educating Nebraska high school students ages 18 and younger about tanning and its association to Melanoma.
Students are highly encouraged to check this contest out to take a stand against tanning beds. A list of information and rules for the contest can be found on their website thebedisdead.org/contest.
All one needs to do for the most part to be apart of this movement is very simple. Nebraska students are invited to post a selfie on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag the bed is dead, sharing why they choose not to tan indoors.
In the long run, it could possibly save a person’s life.
