Sunbathing became a trend when tanning became a beauty standard. In the Renaissance time, paleness set the bar for beauty, but in 1923 Coco Chanel accidentally popularized the bronzed skin. She was on a Mediterranean Cruise when she got sun-burnt.
Now, the fashion icon set a trend for the privileged classes that tan was the new sexy. Here are 15 photos from the last century which tell us a story of how sun-bathing evolved.
There were Tanning Booths in beaches called Solarium. As you can see “Let the sun bathe your skin” was the tagline of the booths. But Here are two women outside a tanning booth in St. Petersburg, Russia 1929, trying out a tan which says tanning is “life-giving” and “curative”. The bronze skin seriously started to become a craze among the people.
Sunbathing might be the goal but it is very important to have sun protection. The harmful UV rays from the sun lead to the melanoma. So people started using sunscreen to protect their skin. And what better way than a traditional umbrella to do so?
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Hence It was, Find the Tan, yet seek the shade. This image is from 1939, where women lounge leisurely in the sun beneath the umbrella and apply sunscreen.
The Popularity of sunbathing was insane. Here are some sun-bathers in Positano, Italy in 1959. But Their number was so huge that the fishermen in the beach had to move away their boats to accommodate the sun-bathers. So, The Summer trips to beaches grew with tanning vogue.
Soaking the sun rays wasn’t all that attracted the travelers to the beach. It was, of course, the Vitamin-Sea as well. Although, here we see Two Romanian girls posing before swimming in Bucharest, 1930.
Spruce Girls wearing wood veneer bathing suits holding an umbrella Washington.
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It isn’t the tan only which makes you look good but also the water which cleanses your skin naturally.
Hotness does soar with the temperature on the beach. And here is a woman just trying to relax in Trujillo beach, Peru. Oh Yeah, the photographer managed to click a selfie long before the front camera came to practice.
Spring Break soon became time for students to get wild and have fun in the beach towns. And, why not? Two Students lying down on the car in Daytona Beach, Florida 1973, creative, isn’t it?
This photo is of the Padre Island, Texas in 1980. Here Women relax on the beach, with the oil pumps in the background. And the White sandy beaches are perfect for summers and tan.
This might look weird… But these are goggles which sun-bathers used to protect their eyes. The photo dates back to 1995 Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island.
After a century of Coco Chanel’s bronze skin too, the tan trend lives. And with that came the beach bodies- where you can find the beaches sprawled with muscular hunks and gorgeous beach babes.
And if it is the Spring break for students like it is in the picture then Boom — it is Fun 101. This picture is from Cancun, Mexico.
And at the end of the day, after the sun’s heat is minimal and the sun kisses the horizon – it feels surreal to just sit and admire the view around you. That is what the girls in the image are doing in one of the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Grace Riordan makes an attractive vintage beach study, 1938.
Sunbathing mother and the naked cute baby.
Basking in the golden rays of the sun has been a craving of humans throughout time. The beach has always been – calm, serene and surreal. Go, get your share of sun and shade before “the dog days of summer.”
Do you know why are they called so? Well, our next post is about its story. Stay tuned.