Why do we associate brown skin with health?

It's true - People with olive skin, brown skin and very dark skin look amazingly healthy, despite their wieght.

Even if we know it's most likely a fake tan on an otherwise fair person, tanned people look so much healthier and more attractive than a fair person with pink pigment, despite their known health ailments.

What is this phenomenon?

Perhaps it's because people generally associate paleness of skin with iron deficiency anemia.

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Source(s):

naturopath in training

In the past, people associated pale skin with health and beauty. This was largely because most people worked out of doors and had brown and weathered faces and skin.

Those who spent their days out of the harsh glare of the sun were usually the wealthy, who had the leisure and opportunity to stay indoors all day, or walk outside with parasols and could afford creams and lotions to keep the skin soft.

They were held up as the models of beauty to be aspired to.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the nature of work began to change, and most people worked indoors. It was really only the wealthy people who had the leisure to spend time out of doors, lazing in the sun and acquiring a 'healthy' glow.

Combined with the western notions of beauty originating from the northern hemisphere, the idea developed that having a 'tan' was very desirable. I'm sure the welcome of summer after the sun's long winter absence also factors into it, to some degree.

From there, it was a short step to a tan being regarded as 'beautiful' and 'healthful' looking.

As long as the uber-cool continue to bask in the sun, it will remain a mark of glamour and beauty to do so ~ and people will rationalise it as healthful, in the same way red cheeks were once considered indicators of good health although today we would be concerned about sunburn!

Cheers :-)

Well a little sun is a good thing for most people. It promotes Vitamin D and other things.

Not getting any sun is not healthy.

Tan skin looks great and glowing. Most people who tan care about the way they look and it reflects in the way we eat and dress. Tan for life.

Sickly people are usually pale.

Hi there, I found this also discussed here: http://www.myhealth-forum.com/