There is no denying that golden skin is appealing.
Thousands in the region flock to indoor tanning salons to get that perfect golden hue.
But there is also no denying that indoor tanning does have inherent risks, to the point where the government has now stepped in to try and regulate just who is entering into these booths.
Bill 31 would prohibit marketing and the sale of tanning services and ultraviolet treatments to people under 19.
That means, if passed, just like smokes are now behind closed doors in all convenience stores, tanning services would have some serious stipulations when it comes to marketing.
It means they can’t appeal to everyone anymore.
But while the bill is a proactive step in the right direction, it ultimately comes down to ridding society of the image that tanning is one more way to attain beauty.
Sure, in the summer everyone seeks out some sun, but when cancer societies are calling on the government for action because more and more young people are using tanning booths, it’s now an issue of girls not being happy with themselves.
And clearly the majority of society knows these booths are bad news when it comes to overall health.
The Canadian Cancer Society launched a poll in 2009 asking Ontarians if they would support the provincial government in a push for legislation like Bill 31. It states 80 per cent answered yes.
If 80 per cent of those poled say yes, then why do people continue to seek that look?
Because society says that’s what is attractive.
Until that changes, it isn’t likely youngsters who would have gone indoor tanning won’t seek other ways to catch those rays, one way or another.