Family is important to me – and I’m not just talking about in my personal life. Over the last two and a half decades, I have had and continue to have the great privilege of working with a number of outstanding people in the indoor tanning industry. To me, these people are also my family.
The global indoor tanning community must make the effort to help each other when needed and, most importantly, work together as a unit.
It is so heartening to see the development and progress that has been made in uniting the global indoor tanning family! I recently attended the World Tanning Summit and was invited to provide a presentation on activities and issues in the UK. Listening to my peers present on their country’s activities and issues reaffirmed, if it was ever in doubt, that we are all in this together. So, it makes absolute sense to me that, as with our own personal families, we make the effort to ensure we are talking to each other regularly, sharing information and advice, helping each other when needed and, importantly, working together as a unit.
The Internet and social media have had an incredible impact and influence on the way we all communicate, playing their parts in bringing the global tanning community closer together – be it by tweet, blog, post, email, whatever. In the UK for example, a large proportion of salons are single-site operations and often, the owners and managers of these facilities can feel quite isolated. Social media provides an instant community, a kind of family to follow, learn from and even share with other salons not just in the UK, but globally.
But of course, with all the positives comes the negative attention from those who through ignorance, ego or agenda, undertake to attack and vilify our industry. On the rare occasion that I have a bit of spare time, I find myself attempting to engage with, inform and educate some of the “tanning bed naysayers” on social media. No doubt many would and, indeed, some do say I am wasting my time; but I simply cannot resist the opportunity to correct the lies and misinformation, dispel the myths and point the naysayers in the direction of accuracy and truth. The problem is, they really don’t want to hear it, let alone believe it – and so they often end up posting or tweeting abuse as a last resort when backed into a corner by science and truth! It is clear that reality and perception are getting badly tangled by the anti-tanning lobby. You may consider it odd, but I chalk these moments up as victories alongside the edifying experience of receiving the support of those with a scientific background on these issues and, of course, from the global indoor tanning family.
I am utterly convinced that uniting together, in terms of voice and resources, provides a level of opportunity for our industry that is only now beginning to be truly realised. A united approach has just seen serious issues for the industry in France quashed; a global resource of information and analysis of scientific reports and studies is being developed as I write; representation at events all over the world where our industry is being discussed is now a reality and there’s no doubt that we all benefit from a more regular dialogue with each other in whatever form that takes.
In the words of Sister Sledge (for those who can remember that far back…) “We Are Family!” And a high-five to whoever sang these words: “There ain’t nothing gonna tear us apart!”
