Shades of change: Suntanning and the twentieth-century American Dream.

摘要

This dissertation examines the development of suntanning from the early twentieth century through the present, investigating the ways that suntanning became an enduring American pastime that both shaped and reflected prevailing notions of female beauty and American identity. The experience of suntanning, as well as the fashions and the prescriptive literature it inspired, also contributed to ongoing cultural conversations over race, the construction of gender ideologies, and changing notions of sexuality and health.; As a popular cultural practice, a profitable consumer products industry, and crucial vehicle for innovations in advertising, tanning highlighted key episodes in the twentieth century struggle to define a modern American identity. Central to this emerging American ideal, suntanned skin became an indicator of success and happiness. Suntanning brought into focus, however, the paradox of continued racism, leading Americans to try fitting suntanning and race into a larger, century-long struggle to identify what was real, natural and beautiful in a modern, technological civilization. Despite these attempts, a clear dividing line emerged between artificial and natural dark skin and dark-skinned minorities were never fully accepted into the definition of authentic American.; Suntanning also reflected shifting ideas about sexuality in the United States. Advertisers exploited feminist ideology, but never took it seriously. Sexuality---at times defined by a suntan---was not nearly as liberating as many women hoped it might be.; At the same time, suntanning illustrated changing ideas about health and science. This dissertation demonstrates that Americans remained unwilling to accept the health risks of suntanning until viable alternatives emerged.; The study draws its conclusions from a thorough examination of popular magazines, both the advertisements and the editorial content. In addition to assessing the images Americans saw regarding suntanning, the study relies on the archives of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency to detail the influence advertisers believed they had on consumers and the influence consumer trends had on advertisements. Advertising not only showed the pervasive influence of suntanning in twentieth century America, but also the changes women made in shaping and reshaping their consumer, gender, sexual, public, health and aesthetic identities.