As the sun casts its last rays of summer and some people still show off their golden skin back at the office, here’s a brief history of sunbathing. Far from being a trivial activity, basking in the sun at your vacation spot is as much a social act as it is a status symbol. The practice, which has become socially acceptable in the West, has gone from having peasant connotations to becoming the golden myth of modernity.
” Tanning is a cultural invention of the 20th century,” recalls historian Pascal Ory in his seminal essay (L’invention du bronzage). Long associated with hard labor and social inferiority, tanning became a symbol of freedom, modernity, and leisure in the 20th century. From the sun gods of Egypt to the beaches of Saint-Tropez, from powdered aristocrats to Hollywood stars, the evolution of tanned skin illustrates a major cultural shift. Behind the apparent summer frivolity, it reveals social, political, and aesthetic issues, shedding light on our relationship with the body, power, and desire.
The sun, between divinity and danger in Antiquity
In ancient civilizations, the sun was not only a source of light, but first and foremost a deity. In Egypt, Ra—the Sun God—embodied vital power, and the pharaohs, depicted with golden skin, associated this luminous complexion with prosperity. This tan was not a deliberate choice, but a religious symbol.
Among the Greeks and Romans, the ideal remained paradoxical: gods such as Apollo were golden and radiant, but the elites valued fair skin, protected from the sun by veils or ointments. Historian Jean-Claude Bologne points out that, for Roman patricians, “a pale complexion signified idleness and availability for cultivated leisure, as opposed to the tan of slaves and soldiers.”
The Middle Ages and Renaissance: aristocratic whiteness
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe, whiteness became a sign of nobility and distinction. Women used powders, makeup, and parasols to protect themselves from the sun’s rays. Christine de Pizan, considered the first feminist intellectual of modern Europe, wrote in the 14th century that “a white complexion is a mirror of purity and eminence.”
Tanned skin remained associated with the labor of workers, such as farmers and sailors. In Italian courts, Sandro Botticelli and Bronzino painted princely mistresses with diaphanous complexions, the ultimate symbol of feminine beauty.
This skin tone hierarchy was not unique to the West: in China, Japan, and India, whiteness remained synonymous with refinement. Centuries later, this logic still persists, with millions of lightening creams sold worldwide.
The hygienist turning point: the sun as a remedy
It was at the beginning of the 20th century that everything changed in the West. Hygienist medicine discovered the therapeutic virtues of the sun, which was presented as a remedy for tuberculosis, anemia, and rickets. Sanatoriums opened in the Alps and on the coasts to offer patients clean air and light.
Urban planning took inspiration from this: Le Corbusier and Jeanneret incorporated light and large bay windows into their buildings. Schools and garden cities were designed to “raise healthy children” exposed to the sun.
The 1920s: the cultural invention of tanning
From 1920 onwards, tanning became popular as a modern activity. The term appeared in the magazine Marie Claire, the predecessor of Elle. Henri de Montherlant, in Les Olympiques (1924), wrote that “the tan on the knees stops abruptly, showing that they have never worn trousers.”
Two legends mark this period: Jean Patou, creator of Huile de Chaldée (1927), the world’s first tanning oil, with tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen as its muse; and Gabrielle Chanel, who returned to Paris from a cruise on the French Riviera with a golden tan immortalized by the newspapers of the time. Suddenly, tanning became glamorous, a sign of elegance and freedom. “Tanning became synonymous with health, dynamism, and freedom,” observes Pascal Ory.
This new standard was accompanied by other female revolutions: short haircuts, shorter skirts, and the right to vote. The female body was revealed and emancipated.
Paid vacations in France: democratization of the sun and explosion of the sunscreen market
Tanning is not just an aesthetic phenomenon: it has become a social and political marker. In the 1930s, totalitarian regimes exploited the image of the sun-kissed body: Nazi Germany promoted the blond, tanned athlete as a symbol of Aryan vigor, while Fascist Italy associated golden skin with Mediterranean energy.
In 1936 in France, the advent of paid vacations (the same year, Jean Patou—him again—launched a perfume called “Vacances,” which attests to the scale of the seaside tourism movement), the widespread popularity of sea bathing, and the rise of youth hostels transformed the sun into an ally of a new leisure society. Sun worship became democratized, a sign of social equality and a symbol of freedom, modernity, and outdoor vacations, relegating the ideal of pale skin, once prized by the elites, to the past. From then on, workers and bourgeoisie rubbed shoulders on the beaches, “where everyone, white or tanned, mingled in the same sunny revelry,” as Albert Londres, a young French journalist at the beginning of the 20th century, ironically put it.
The sunscreen market exploded with brands such as L’Oréal (in 1935, Eugène Schueller, founder of L’Oréal, launched his first sun oils for the face and body, followed in 1936 by the launch of his Ambre Solaire range), Lancaster and Piz Buin, developing increasingly innovative products: water-resistant, enriched with vitamins, more sensorial. Advertising and press articles linked health and beauty: Marie Claire defended tanning as a hygienic and aesthetic ideal and declared that the summer of 1939 would be marked by the two-piece swimsuit.
Different cultures, different perceptions
In Asia, fair skin remains an aesthetic ideal deeply rooted in Confucian and Buddhist traditions, where whiteness is synonymous with nobility, purity, and refinement. This heritage continues today: from childhood onwards, sun protection is an essential part of beauty routines in China, Japan, and Korea, in the form of high SPF creams, wide-brimmed hats, parasols, veils, and sun-protective clothing. Pale skin thus remains the dominant standard. As Japanese writer Jun’ichirō Tanizaki expressed in In Praise of Shadows (1933): “The paleness of the skin reveals the delicacy of the body and the elegance of the spirit.”
In India, fair skin remains associated with social and marital success. The market for skin-lightening creams is worth billions.
In countries in the Middle East and North Africa, the relationship with the sun is more ambivalent: a daily presence, it is respected, feared, and circumvented through traditional practices such as veils, henna, and protective oils. It is rarely associated with an aesthetic quest for a tan, but rather integrated into the rhythms of life.
In Africa and Polynesia, dark or tanned skin is part of a natural and valued identity, without the Western hierarchical opposition between tan and nobility. Tanning as a voluntary practice therefore appears to be a foreign curiosity, imported by tourism.
From the golden age to excesses
From the 1950s to the 1970s, tanning was at its peak. Hollywood amplified the trend: the caramel complexions of Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Grace Kelly embodied the Californian dream. Advertising in the 1950s glorified sunscreen and deck chairs, to the point where tanning became almost a cultural duty.
A few years later, Brigitte Bardot and Jane Fonda on the beach in Saint-Tropez, and Jane Birkin in the 1970s, made tanning a sensual and liberating ideal.
But in the mid-1970s, the economic crisis and the first medical warnings changed the situation. Tanning, once considered healthy, was now associated with risks such as skin aging, melanoma, and pigmentation spots. Knowledge progressed and protective measures became widespread.
SPF, UVA, UVB: three letters that changed our relationship with the sun
The desire to protect ourselves from the sun is nothing new. Even in ancient times, people used clay, rice, and vegetable oils to soothe and filter the sun’s rays. But it was in the 20th century that everything changed.
In 1938, Swiss chemist Franz Greiter developed Gletscher Crème after getting sunburned in the mountains and introduced the concept of SPF, which stands for Sun Protection Factor. The cream is considered one of the first modern sunscreens, and Franz Greiter is regarded as the inventor of SPF.
Note that the number next to the SPF indicates the level of protection against UVB rays (medium-wavelength ultraviolet rays), which cause sunburn and certain forms of cancer. An SPF of 30, for example, means that protected skin will take 30 times longer to burn than unprotected skin. However, the difference between the indices is not linear. An SPF of 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays, an SPF of 30 blocks 97%, and an SPF of 50 blocks approximately 98%.
In 1978, the FDA recognized SPF as a standard. Since then, standards have been harmonized internationally and SPF has become ubiquitous: day creams, foundations, makeup, lip balms, hair sprays, and UV-protective clothing, particularly in Asia and Australia, where UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) fabrics are an increasingly popular physical barrier.
In recent years, the issue of UVA (ultraviolet rays with the highest wavelengths), which penetrate deeper and accelerate skin aging and certain cancers, has gained prominence. So-called “broad spectrum” protections or those bearing a UVA logo now offer complete defense.
While sunscreens protect the skin, some are controversial. Ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate are accused of disrupting the endocrine system and harming marine life. Hawaii has banned them to protect its coral reefs. In response, brands are innovating: reef-friendly formulas, mineral filters such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, clean textures that don’t leave white marks.
But misconceptions persist: a high SPF does not mean you don’t need to reapply. Sunscreen does not prevent tanning, but allows for slower and more lasting tanning. UV rays are present all year round, even on cloudy days.
Tanning in an era of contradictions
The 1980s saw the emergence of UV cabins, symbolizing excessive artificial tanning, while the ultimate in sunbathing was to be bare-breasted, and the topless fashion became the embodiment of the years of money and ostentation. At the same time, prevention campaigns reminded people that “tanning is burning,” such as the “Slip, Slop, Slap” campaign in Australia, which proved effective in the fight against skin cancer by focusing on simple, visual, and repeated education to reinforce good habits.
Today, Instagram and celebrities (such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, for example) are reigniting debates on cultural appropriation and aesthetic standards. Conversely, some celebrities such as Emma Watson, Cate Blanchett, and Pamela Anderson are championing natural skin, rejecting the sun worship trend.
Tanning, a mirror of society
“The skin becomes a social text that we read and interpret,” says Pascal Ory. Sometimes a peasant stigma, sometimes a seaside privilege, tanning tells the story of a changing society: from fascist propaganda in the 1930s to the Instagram imagination, it has become a marker of freedom, pleasure, and success. But it remains ambivalent, torn between aesthetic worship and medical vigilance. Today, the fragmented culture of tanning embodies this “at the same time” mentality: exposing oneself and protecting oneself, accepting the coexistence of tanned and pale skin, while pursuing a quest for sunshine that is both collective and intimate: one that consists of protecting oneself, taking care of one’s skin with pleasure, and continuing to love the sun… without ever getting burned.
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Featured photo : Unsplash
