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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Older women and suntanning
— the negotiation of health and appearance risks | | Author(s) | Laura Hurd Clarke, Alexandra Korotchenko |
| Journal title | Sociology of Health & Illness, vol 31, no 5, July 2009 |
| Pages | pp 748-761 |
| Source | http://www.blackwellpublishing.com |
| Keywords | Older women ; Physical characteristics [elderly] ; Ageing process ; Attitude ; Health [elderly] ; Social surveys ; Canada. |
| Annotation | This Canadian paper examines older women's experiences and perceptions of sunbathing, sun avoidance, and suntanned appearances. Using data from in-depth interviews with 36 women aged 71 to 94, the authors elucidate the motivations behind the women's sunbathing practices. Specifically, they explore how the women responded to the health and appearance risks associated with exposure to and avoidance of ultraviolet radiation as well as extant feminine beauty norms. The majority of women put their experiences of sunbathing in an emergent historical context. Although most of the women suggested that suntanned appearances were indicative of health and beauty, sunbathers tended to downplay their health risks by distancing themselves from those they considered to be most at risk, namely tanning bed users and individuals who acquired overly dark suntans. Sunbathers also emphasised the benefits of sun exposure for adequate vitamin D absorption. In contrast, the women who did not suntan tended to have experienced negative health and appearance consequences from their past sunbathing practices. Thus, these women emphasised the importance of future health over immediate appearance dividends. The findings are discussed in relation to the extant research on suntanning and the literature pertaining to health, risk, and beauty work. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-100115205 A |
| Classmark | BD: BA: BG: DP: CC: 3F: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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