For many years, summer has come with an unspoken social rule: we were expected to get a tan. The “summer tan” became a symbol of health, leisure, and even status, and anyone who didn’t follow the trend often had to endure repeated comments about their skin tone. Many people who either cannot be exposed to the sun for health reasons or simply do not enjoy sunbathing have spent summers hearing remarks like “you’re so pale,” as if their natural skin colour required justification.
Fortunately, this social pressure finally seems to be fading. As scientific knowledge has become more accessible to the general public, more people understand that sun exposure is not a harmless seasonal ritual but a practice that must be approached with care. The article reminds us that ultraviolet radiation can damage collagen fibers, accelerate skin aging, and increase the risk of skin cancers. As it states, UVB radiation “leads to direct DNA damage and promotes various skin cancers,” a fact long known in scientific circles but slower to permeate social norms.
This does not mean sunlight is the enemy. On the contrary, sunlight plays an essential role in human health. It stimulates vitamin D production, supports bone strength, and contributes to emotional well‑being through its effects on serotonin and melatonin. Moderate exposure to daylight can improve sleep quality, mood, and overall vitality. But these benefits do not require prolonged or uncontrolled sunbathing, nor do they justify the pressure to achieve a particular skin tone.
Today, more people embrace the idea that enjoying summer does not depend on getting darker skin. The growing respect for individual preferences, and for scientific evidence, marks a healthy cultural shift. Sunlight is beneficial, but our relationship with it should be guided by knowledge, not social coercion.
Serra Húnter Fellow of Sociology at Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
Former DAAD-Gastprofessorin at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg