Oh, yes – it IS the season, for sure.
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As our industry’s primetime approaches full swing, so does the media coverage. For years, it’s been the modus operandi of those scribes to start slinging the swill as people return to tanning salons to bask in the warming glow of a sunbed. I receive a daily list of such propaganda that is typically littered with falsehoods or at the least, hypocrisy. Take a couple that surfaced from the Carolinas and one from Colorado last month. The first was about an event planned for lawmakers in South Carolina to prevent teens from tanning indoors. I sought out the author, Jamie Gilbert and sent the following:
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Dear Jamie;
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I just finished reading your piece in WACH.com regarding the Suits and Sneakers event and the drive to prevent some teens from indoor tanning. wach.com/news/local/advocates-lacing-up-their-sneakers-for-a-special-cause
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Indoor tanning offers a controlled environment to obtain a cosmetic tan. Sessions are delivered by skin type and a timer, minimizing the risk of overexposure and sunburn. Preventing access may lead to the unintended consequence of driving them to obtain a tan outdoors in natural sunlight, that actually increases the risk of overexposure and sunburn.
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Many more youths throughout the Carolinas are exposed to the risk of overexposure and sunburn on playgrounds, baseball, soccer and softball fields, pools and lakes. Consider the thousands of youngsters basking in natural sunlight on the reflective surfaces of the sand during the summer at your beaches. Will these same folks be advocating avoiding these locations that pose incredible risk, as well?
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Next up, a piece from South Carolina about lawmakers discussing an under-18 tanning ban. It spoke to the dangers of UV exposure from tanning beds and interviewed a SC salon employee. She gave a response that covered some good information, but also threw in some “hey, like, you know, listen to your body. If you’re getting too hot, hop on out” … and, “listen to yourself – if you have any questions, just ask me.” Oh boy, sounds like I need to provide some Sun is Life® Training and Certification in South Carolina! But I digress.
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This hypocritical report scolded the indoor tanning industry, yet offered no warnings about the hazards of the uncontrolled exposure to the natural sun. Watch the clip at: wmbfnews.com/2019/02/06/sc-lawmakers-working-ban-minors-using-tanning-beds/
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Next, the Colorado Sun writer, Jennifer Brown, wrote a piece titled, “Colorado has the highest per-capita rate of skin cancer, thanks to sunshine and high elevation.” To this writer, I offered:
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Dear Jennifer:
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I just finished reading your piece in the Colorado Sun: coloradosun.com/2019/02/04/colorado-skin-cancer-rates/
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I was intrigued by your lead – “Colorado has the highest per-capita rate of skin cancer, thanks to sunshine and high elevation” – but was somewhat confused by copy in the body. A total of 27 words (yes, I counted) on skin cancer out of the entire story actually covered the fact that cancer rates are declining, but lung is still by far, the leading cancer. Why not a title such as, “Good News: Cancer death rates down in Colorado, but lung cancer still No.1”?
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So, why do I send these writers my thoughts on behalf of the industry? I very seldom receive a response from the writers. But, when IST readers send these reports to me asking me to supply a response that they can share with their salon guests, I follow up … the Industry Watchdog is on it!
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Team IST searches for erroneous, suspect or negative reporting by the media that adversely impacts the tanning industry. Reports such as these have plagued tanning businesses for decades. Although the media sources will seldom admit a falsehood and print a retraction, IST offers these well-crafted responses to the negative reports that can be shared with your customers and potential customers, alike.
