Yes, a significant portion of Gen Z actively tans, with studies showing they have higher rates of intentional tanning and sunbed use compared to older generations, driven by social media trends and beauty ideals. Despite high awareness of skin health, many prioritize a "bronzed" look, with 55% of 18-44 year-olds reporting intentional tanning.
More than a fifth of Gen Z respondents prioritize getting a tan over protecting their skin, and 25% say it's worth looking great now even if it means looking worse later. “Many people associate tanned skin with health and vitality, but actually, a tan is a sign of skin damage,” said Dr. Vanchinathan.
Gen-Z yellow (a bright and sunny color) was seen as being labeled as the next trend that will rival millennial pink. Similar to how Millennial Pink gained popularity, Gen Z today has its own set of preferred colors, with Cyber Lime and Digital Lavender taking the spotlight.
Sunburns Are Trending — And That's Not a Good Thing
In fact, fewer than 30% of Gen Z respondents said they're worried about skin cancer. “While skin cancer can occur anywhere on the skin, including non-sun exposed areas, the number one risk factor is UV from sun exposure,” said Gideon Smith, MD, Ph.
Tanning is back—and arguably bigger than ever. According to a recent survey from the American Academy of Dermatology, 28 percent of Gen Z respondents said getting a tan was more important to them than preventing skin cancer, and 70 percent reported having tanned skin.
The upside-down face emoji 🙃 is basically code for “this is terrible” or FML. It's used when things aren't going well or the user is having a terrible day. This modern usage is an update to the millennial sense. For the older generation, this emoji often indicated sarcasm or even silliness.
Gen Z ladies are questioning the necessity of a bra, with many opting to go braless. Their reasons are diverse and quite valid, as they say. A common complaint is discomfort and cost, with many finding bras to be restrictive and unnecessarily expensive.
The "333 rule" in clothing refers to two popular minimalist fashion concepts: the viral TikTok trend of using 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 shoes to create numerous outfits (9 items total) for styling practice, and the more extensive Project 333, where you select 33 items (including clothes, shoes, and accessories) to wear for three months, excluding essentials like underwear, workout gear, and sleepwear, to simplify your wardrobe and reduce decision fatigue. Both methods focus on versatility, quality over quantity, and creating a functional capsule wardrobe.
Demographics. A report by demographer William Frey suggests that as of 2019, 50.9% of Generation Z is white, 13.8% is black, 25.0% Hispanic, and 5.3% Asian. 29% of Generation Z are children of immigrants or immigrants themselves, compared to 23% of Millennials when they were at the same age.
A similar study found that males not only rated dark tans as more attractive (vs. light or medium tans), but also perceived dark-tanned women as thinner (Banerjee, Campo, & Greene, 2008). Tanning's powers extend beyond simple attractiveness.
The stare may simply reflect a broader general shift in communication and accepted social behaviors. Some suggest the behavior may even be Gen Z's form of active listening. It could also be a response to questions they view as nonsensical or communication seen as inauthentic.
From TikTok to Instagram, more people are confidently going suntan-free, calling out the suntanning obsession for what it is: risky, and rooted in beauty ideals that don't serve us. It's not just a personal choice – it's about changing the culture altogether.
The "3 Bra Rule" is a guideline recommending you own at least three bras for a healthy rotation: one to wear, one in the laundry, and one in the drawer (resting), which helps the elastic recover and extends the life of your bras by preventing daily wear. Rotating them gives the elastic a full day to regain its shape, keeping bras supportive and fitting better for longer, avoiding the need to wear the same one two days in a row.
Gen Z is fatter than previous generations despite its fondness for wellness, figures reveal. Although young people are smoking and drinking less and taking fewer drugs, experts have raised concerns over obesity rates.
The kiss mark emoji 💋 is a flirty little symbol of a lipstick marking that can indicate affectionate or friendly kisses, love and romance, sexiness, cosmetics and beauty, and in some cases, sassiness.
In the early 2020s, the skull emoji was popularized by Generation Z, the demographic cohort of people born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s, who started using it as a replacement for the phrases "I'm dead" or "I'm dying" – short for "I'm dying of laughter" – to express joy or happiness, as well as laughter.
He prefers the look of a “real” tan to a fake tan, which ties in to existing social media trends such as “looking expensive” and “quiet luxury”. “On Instagram especially, everyone is always on holiday, always super brown. So it's probably just trying to keep up,” Harris says.
Darker skin tones have a higher melanin content, which provides stronger photoprotection, leading to less photoaging. The melanin in darker skins, on the other hand, can be unstable, making these skin groups more prone to dyspigmentation, or abnormalities in the formation or distribution of pigment.
