At the moment, it seems unconscionable to be focused on anything other than the unjustifiable war in Ukraine and I have no doubt all of our thoughts and prayers will be that this travesty comes to an end swiftly and with as limited loss of life and liberty as possible.
History will certainly look back at the early 2020s as a time when the world was truly under threat; initially, from a relentless pandemic and then, from an unbelievable and awful war. But it is the nature of the world that life continues even in the midst of such tragic times.
We in the indoor tanning industry must collectively, robustly and rigorously challenge the flawed data that continues to be used against us.
To use a well-known phrase; with every great tragedy comes the opportunity for great triumph – and I firmly believe this to be true. Indeed, I can already see how our industry can learn from the tragedy that COVID brought about and how we can use that knowledge to steer a positive path forward.
When the virus hit, another epidemic arrived, too: misinformation. The misinformation that traveled with us on the COVID path is an exceptional example of how wrong scientists can be when it comes to modeling and forecasts. However, let me be clear: throughout the pandemic, there has undoubtedly been some wonderful and remarkable science and I am the first to praise that.
But I do question to what extent much of the scientific modeling and forecasts were reliable. I suggest much of it was questionable modeling, poorly presented and often misrepresented. And I reiterate, I am not criticising science nor, I hasten to add, am I an expert on pandemics. However, I do see a parallel between recent COVID-related events and how statistics are manipulated to scare people against tanning in general, and against tanning beds in particular.
Modeling and forecasts were the ammunition that drove lockdowns and created a climate of manipulated fear. And it is extreme modeling and flawed data that is used against the tanning bed industry.
In the same way that the modeling and forecasts influenced policy during COVID and are now being questioned and challenged, we in the indoor tanning industry must collectively, robustly and rigorously challenge the flawed data that continues to be used against us.
There’s no doubt our opponents do not like to be challenged and so, we must always challenge and question misinformation about responsible indoor tanning. Truth does not mind being questioned, but a lie does not like being challenged.
Tanning salons in the UK are experiencing exceptionally high levels of footfall for this time of year and whilst that is great news in itself, another exciting fact is that much of this footfall is from new customers, people who had never set foot in a tanning salon pre-COVID.
We have a great opportunity to begin changing the narrative. Within professionally run salons, we can continue to educate the public about responsible UV exposure and ensure that those practices are employed in the sunshine, as well – something that campaigners have failed to achieve over decades of effort and with millions of dollars spent on safe-tanning campaigns.
I want us to reach a point where, although we may not secure the anti-tanning lobby agreeing with everything we say, we at least gain the recognition that there is more that unites us than divides us.
