My girlfriends and I always listened to WAVE 104.1 FM which was the Rock radio station out of Myrtle Beach, SC. I'll never forget how the DJs would announce (every 30 minutes) "Time to turn....so you don't burn!" and we would flip over so we would tan evenly. We only wanted to tan when we were teenagers and never gave a thought to possible sun damage to our skin. And the lemon juice or Sun In for your hair? Yeah, we did that. My hair had gone from my childhood "dirty blonde" to light brown by that time, and it was easy to achieve the much-sought after sun streaked look.
God, that feels like a thousand years ago. Another lifetime. These days, I sit outside in the sun for a few minutes now and again (with sunscreen and a hat to protect my face) for purposes of getting some vitamin D. I only expose my arms and legs and I strictly limit the amount of time I spend doing it. My teenage self would have wept to know it was going to come to that! Sunbathing was a real pleasure back then and I miss it.
What kind of teenage summer memories do you have?
Same as yours. And god, you should see my skin now. Actually, no one should see my skin now.
ReplyDeleteStop it! You are beautiful.
DeleteSame as yours, but we listened to KEEL AM radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ignorance truly was bliss...
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how much the local radio stations were a part of our lives back in those days.
DeleteThat's it, sans radio. I remember sitting by my bike, looking at the clouds.
ReplyDeleteI spent a lot of time outdoors during my teenage years too.
DeleteCrikey that sounds just like my Mum's teenage years. Different radio station but the sun baking thing was big time. Every weekend was spent at the beach and never was there sunscreen, hat or sunglasses involved. Mum was a surfer. She rode a surfboard and spent as much time as possible outdoors. You should see her now. OMD!! The wrinkles but she reckons she earnt every single one. She was a surfer girl. Crikey ..... she's gone all nostalgic on me.
ReplyDeleteA surfer girl! Your mom rocks! :)
DeleteI grew up about a 45 minute drive from the beach, so while I went often, I didn't get to spend all my free time in the ocean like your mom! And surfing is pretty much hopeless in South Carolina. You always see a few fools trying when a hurricane is blowing in, but usually we don't have big enough waves for it.
When I was still a young Adonis, I would tan very quickly and without effort. Now that I'm more of a Methuselah (and more in the sun) I don't seem to change colour; other than my forearms. Somehow it doesn't bother me either.
ReplyDeleteMy husband liked to spend time in the sun when HE was a young Adonis, and now he's having to have small spots of BCC removed from his forehead.
DeleteMy skin tans very quickly and I had sunburn maybe twice in my life, no matter how long I've been in the sun (with or without sunscreen). As a kid, I found sunbathing the height of boredom and would rather run around with the other kids, ride my bike or sit somewhere and read. My teenage years were more about music and hair than about getting tanned. Those were the 1980s, and as a teenager, you felt it was your duty to have a different hair colour every week - anything from peroxide blonde to carrot red or aubergine to black, sometimes a mix of several of them! Once I started to work (at 18), I became reasonable :-)
ReplyDeleteI still tan quickly but I don't really sunbathe anymore, it just happens as I spend a lot of time outdoors on weekends to counterbalance the office job.
I'm not terribly fair skinned, but I will burn if I overdo it. I got sunburned the last time I went to the beach, because even though I used sunscreen I forgot to reapply it and we spent hours out in the sun. I hate sunburn.
DeleteI had many sunburns growing up and have been a regular at the Dermatologist for the past 20 years. I still enjoy the sun but am very careful about protecting my skin.
ReplyDeleteYes, my husband has begun a series of trips to the dermatologist because of his past sun exposure.
DeleteI used to sunbathe and enjoy the heat of the sun on my face or back and I relaxed into the heat of summer. Now I cannot imagine doing so. It was sad to discover the sun is not our friend.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad! Basking in the summer sun feels so good...at the time, anyway.
DeleteYou are DEFINITELY describing my teenaged years -- right down to the Sun-In! I remember lying in my back yard with that stuff in my hair. And now I don't even HAVE hair! (I don't think the Sun-In is to blame...)
ReplyDeleteYes, you're a Florida boy and close to my age so this doesn't surprise me!
DeleteOh, please. I had a transistor radio!
ReplyDeleteBut did you "lay out" and put Sun-In in your hair? :)
DeleteOh, yeah, I was a sun worshipper (and still am, although I now use sun screen). But given that my hair WAS black, I never used Sun-In.
Deleteyep, I remember doing all that. and having a book list to read before the next high school year began.
ReplyDelete