Northern BC’s Tanning is Out Ambassador Haylee, shared her views with us on the Tan Free Grad campaign that she helped lead at her secondary school. Haylee, like many other Grade 12 students, believes you should be confident in your own skin tone.

The Tanning Is Out campaign was an amazing experience for my grad class and myself. As the student leader, it makes me extremely proud knowing that over 90% of my grad class chose to lead healthier, longer lives by choosing to go tan free. It was awesome to see so many of my fellow grads pledge right away. Many of them said things like their skin couldn’t tan anyway, or that they thought tanning was silly, or that they knew it was bad for them. All of these things were awesome reasons for people to pledge, however, the most challenging part of the campaign was convincing the “tanners” to go tan free.

For many of these girls (and a few boys), the issue was not just going tan free, but something much bigger. Some said they felt less confident without a tan, that all their friends tanned, or that they didn’t like the natural color of their own skin tone. These issues of confidence, peer pressure, and self image, are all traditional problems that teenagers deal with.

Not only did the Tanning Is Out campaign educate my grad class about the dangers of tanning, and bring everyone together for a common cause, but it sent the message that it’s okay to be yourself and be confident with who you are; both things that are needed to be a healthy, happy, tan free individual.

Haylee, Tan Free Grad Leader
Prince George BC