Why am I white?

The other day, I was reminded of my past vacation in the beautiful island of Okinawa when a young boy asked me, “Why are you so white?” Admittedly, I have always been a bit envious of the tan crowd. The men who can take their shirts off in public without fear of blinding the casual passerby. The golden-tan people who enjoy a lifestyle outdoors in the sun not reserved for ones with a ghostly white pallor. Recently, in Japan the pursuit of a tan is not fashionable or healthy. There are many products to prevent the nasty sun of inflicting damage to ones complexion. There are sun blocks, sun repellent umbrellas; sun hats and these strange sleeves women wear when driving that remind me of “The Bride of Frankenstein”. But despite of this, I still want a tan. During my life I have tried many times to get a tan. The results ranged from ” slightly flushed” to “red lobster”, but never “a brown coloration of the skin caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays” as defined by the dictionary. Not being one to give up easily, I decided to try a self- tanning product that promised a tan in five days. I had visions of going on my vacation in Okinawa bronzed and ready for a week of fun in the sun. Diligently, I applied the lotion as instructed for five days, and I no longer looked like I just got out of the hospital. I actually had somewhat of a tan! I was ready to go. I spent a week swimming, snorkeling and canoeing in the sun proudly displaying my first tan. But as the week progressed the self-tanning wore off and I was actually getting whiter! I was the first person in history to return from a trip to a sun drenched tropical island … Whiter!