BLACK HEALTH MATTERS

Yes, Black People Need Sunscreen

Does dark skin need protection from UV rays? Let’s unpack this.

Photo by Lina Verovaya on Unsplash

Every summer, families, friends, and couples hit the beach hoping to catch some rays and have some fun. While spending some time in the sun boosts Vitamin D in the body, people who stay out too long risk damaging their skin. In America, all of us — Black, White and other — are guilty of embracing strange or downright harmful myths about sun exposure and the darker toning that comes with it. Some are racist, and others are self-harming.

In 1929, Coco Channel declared, “A girl simply has to be tanned.” White people went from valuing lighter skin as a mark of “wealth and leisure,” to actively darkening their skin. All of this is ironic given the way some Europeans and their descendants treat Black people simply for having darker complexions. Getting dark is socially acceptable when it’s on purpose, but those born Black were often condemned as grotesque and inhuman.

Skin color is just the tip of the myth iceberg. Using scientific racism, White people once insisted (and sometimes still insist) that Black skin was “tougher” and more resistant to pain. And if you thought these stereotypes were a thing of the past, you’d be sadly mistaken. According to a poll by the Association of American Medical Colleges, “half of white medical trainees believe Black people have thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings.” These myths are the byproduct of intentional efforts by racist physicians.

The Washington Post addressed some of these racist thoughts in this piece:

Now consider Cartwright’s claims in 1851 that, among other things, a Negro withstood the rays of the sun better because of an eye feature like one found in apes

Of course, modern scientists understand that race is not biological; it’s a social construct. But that doesn’t stop the stereotypes about Black skin differences from percolating throughout society. For example, many people believe the myth that Black people cannot get sunburned and therefore don’t need to wear sunblock. They think Black people have some special protection from the sun. However, just as the skin myths of the past, these beliefs stray from science.