To my pale girlies out there,

First, I want to say I am one of you. I know what it's like to want to be the perfect shade of tan--a sunny glow, a kissed by the sun kind of tan you can only find in swimsuit ads. But that's exactly why I don't want to be tan. Ads aren't realistic. It's photoshopped, sprayed on color that leads us all to a false ideology about the necessity of being tan.

Let's face facts here. Some of us in this world were given the most fair skin that can't physically tan no matter who hard we try. We turn orange after a spray tan because our skin is so unique that it can't seem to blend with the "Glowing Honey" shade we want.

We burn in tanning beds, and even if we go for less time, more frequently, we still don't seem to turn even the slightest bit darker.

We burn the first day the sun shows it's face after a long winter, even if it's only 55 degrees out. We are meant to be pale.

I'm not going to lie, I have tried to tan in beds and in the natural sun, but it doesn't get me anywhere. I feel relaxed while doing it, which is all well and good, but I figure there are other activities that I can do to relax that won't damage my body in such a permanent way.

So recently I have decided I'm okay with being pale. All skin is beautiful, right? We are all unique and should love ourselves, right? But why is fair skin all of the sudden not a beauty standard?

Our hypocritical society tells us tan is best, even though we told people for centuries that their dark skin made them less human than those with fair skin. Just think about that.

We want to be darker, which means there are people out there that want to be lighter. Who we are, and what we were born with is apparently not something we should embrace anymore, and I think that's sad.

If you're pale, you were not meant to be tan, that's biology, and that's just how it is. Sorry.

The risk of skin cancer is much higher for whites than for dark-skinned African Americans or Hispanics. This is because melanin helps protect against UV radiation. People with dark skin have more melanin. People with fair skin that freckles or burns easily are at extra high risk.

I'm not saying I don't want to be tan, I'm just standing up and admitting I can't, and moving on with my life. I'm not going to waste my time in cancer-causing tanning beds, or frying myself in my free time by not putting on sunscreen when I'm outside.

Now please don't get defensive about this. I'm also not saying those who can tan shouldn't. Girl, if you can tan and it makes you feel confident and relaxed, by all means, do it! But let's face it, you and I both know how horrible tanning is for us, without proper protection of course. You have to really ask yourself if it's worth it.

More than 419,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year are linked to indoor tanning. The lengths we go to in order to fit in with a certain standard is appalling. Skin cancer is not a fun disease, and the fact that we put ourselves in danger just because society says we need to be tan is pretty sad.

People who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by 75 percent. There is a reason why it's illegal in many states and countries to use tanning beds if you're under the age of 18.

Now, let's not overlook the fact that the sun can be just as harmful as tanning beds.

Sun damage is cumulative. Over time, skin naturally ages due to sun exposure. Using sunscreen can help prevent such aging.

People who use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher daily show 24 percent less skin aging than those who do not use sunscreen daily. Now I'm not saying you need to put on sunscreen every time you step out of your house. That's a little extra. But put it on before a beach day or if you know you will be out in the sun all day.

Healthy skin is the best skin tone. If you're hung up on how bad you think your skin looks, try moisturizing and staying hydrated. By doing this, you will see a drastic change in your skin, and its natural completion will be even more youthful too.

While y'all are tanning, please don't remind me of how pasty I am, or how much sunscreen I need to use, cause trust me, I know. All I need you to do is help make pale a skin tone people are proud to have and confident to show off. And that goes for all skin tones. Our unique skin tones should be something we are all proud of, not something we try so desperately to manipulate.