Spring is quickly approaching.
Since it is getting warmer, people on campus are starting to wear fewer clothes.
Although most are overjoyed by this change, a commonly overlooked concern is skin protection.
In an article by the New York Times, a new stylish brand of clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor was introduced.
“Both Parasol and Cover, as well as another newly established and stylish brand, Mott 50, offer clothes that are comfortably lightweight and have 50+ UPF (ultraviolet protection factor),” the Times reported.
Most young people usually don’t like wearing a lot of clothing when the sun is out.
The Times article claimed, “it’s hard to see how Cover’s bandeau and hipster ensemble, or the skimpier items in the Mott 50 and Parasol lines, will help prevent skin cancer. ‘It’s just not realistic to expect people to be head-to-toe covered, so yes, sunscreen has to be part of what you’re doing,’ Ms. Kotur, creative director at Town & Country, said. ‘Our aesthetic is you can be covered without looking like you’ve lost your mind.’”
Since the sun rarely shows itself in Tacoma, skin care might not be a priority for students at Puget Sound.
Freshman Kelsee Levey said that since the sun is never out, it’s never on the minds of students at Puget Sound.
“People on campus don’t care about sun protection because we live in Washington and the sun isn’t usually out, so when it is, people usually want to get tan,” Levey said.
After asking many people on campus if they felt like students at Puget Sound care about sun protection, all answered no.
Most explanations included some variation of “because we never see the sun,” and “most students don’t care.”
Freshman Nichole Hine brought up an interesting point.
“I think people don’t care because it’s [not caring and thinking there are no consequences to our actions] part of being young and not really caring about health,” Hine said.
It seems that there are two theories present.
One is that since the sun is not out much, students at Puget Sound want to soak up all the sun they can get and tend not to think twice about sun protection.
The second claim makes more of a bold statement about our young generation. Since we are young and free, why would we care to protect our skin?
While this clothing seems interesting, it doesn’t seem probable that it will make an appearance on campus anytime soon.
Although most young people are unaware of their consequences it is important to remember to stay healthy and protect ourselves from the consequences of our care free attitude And remember, sunscreen is sold in the student bookstore!
