Intentional tan lines and sunburn lines: Has Gen Z missed the memo about staying sun safe?
A halter neck bikini tan line is being viewed as a summer accessory rather than a potential precursor to skin cancer among Gen Zers. Is a generation turning its back on sun safety?
Victoria
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Young people are sunburning tan lines into their chests as part of a trend that has experts concerned that Gen Z missed the memo about sun safety.
Showing off crisp bikini tan lines and burn lines online has become increasingly popular, with individuals boasting about the time they spend exposed to high UV radiation.
Specifically, a halter neck bikini tan line is being viewed as a summer accessory rather than a potential precursor to skin cancer.
Trending videos on social media have surfaced promoting tanning habits, including clips titled ‘come and UV tan with me’ and ‘come spend a day tanning with me’.
On TikTok, the hashtag for ‘sunburnt tan lines’ has more than 200 million views.
Influencers are being hounded for promoting unhealthy tanning routines, including Melbourne-based Rozalia Russian who recently shared a photo of her clearly-sunburnt legs to her 268,000 followers.
Sun-seekers are also blindly trusting an app called Rayz, designed to create a “personalised tanning routine” for users who pay a steep weekly subscription fee.
“Rayz helps you reach your perfect skin shade faster and healthier,” the app description reads.
“Using advanced AI, we design optimal tanning routines while protecting you from the dangers of overexposure to the sun — like sunburn, premature ageing, and skin damage.”
The app works by uploading pictures of your skin tone, then relying on the AI to judge the day’s UV levels and how long you should lie in the sun on your front and back.
Cancer Council Victoria Head of Prevention Craig Sinclair said there was never a safe way to tan, instead recommending the free SunSmart Global UV app to check UV levels.
The CCV app provides live updates about location-specific UV levels, informing you when you do and don’t need sun protection.
“The most prominent health risk of tanning is skin cancer. We also have eye diseases that result from UV damage, but skin cancer is by far the most predominant one,” Mr Sinclair said.
“We already have, in Australia, around 15,000 people being detected for melanoma each year, and that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
“There are over a million visitations to doctors each year to get skin cancers removed, and it’s why it’s the most expensive burden on the health system – because of the sheer volume of people who suffer as a result of their UV exposure.”
The concerning suntan trend has also been perpetuated by companies, including an Australian swim and activewear brand who advertised their bikinis in a video touting high UV.
Using a trending audio about getting up and getting active, the caption on the video said “the UV is 10… we’re going to the beach”.
The owner of the business said the video was “created to reflect the joy of a beach day”.
“While I wore a hat in the video and personally use sunscreen daily, we recognise that the message may have been misinterpreted, which was never our intention,” she said.
“Promoting tanning or unsafe UV exposure does not align with the business’s values. Our brand focuses on promoting a healthy, active lifestyle and empowering women to feel confident and joyful at the beach and in our apparel, while supporting responsible sun safety practices.
“After looking into this issue, we’re horrified to see the rise of UV culture trends among youth, and we want no association with encouraging such behaviour.”
The video has since been taken down.
Mr Sinclair said CCV did not want to dissuade people from enjoying Australia’s “great lifestyle” or the “benefits of being outdoors”, but it was essential to be “very mindful” about the risks involved.
“The vast majority of young people and adults, broadly, no longer desire a tan. However, in saying that, what we know is that a lot of people just simply get caught out, so they’re not thinking about sun protection,” he said.
“We need to make sure people recognise that skin cancer, particularly melanoma, is a serious disease and not something that can necessarily be easily cut off.
“It really hurts, and it can kill people in great numbers – so we have an important responsibility to make sure people are aware of what they can do to protect themselves.”
Originally published as Intentional tan lines and sunburn lines: Has Gen Z missed the memo about staying sun safe?
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