JOIN USResearchers at Emory University found that doctoring photos of women to make them appear tanner increased how attractive they were rated on a popular attractiveness-rating site HotorNot.com, reports ABC News. They used the website to gauge whether “hotness” scores would change when the same woman was shown with her natural complexion and then with a tan.
Using Photoshop, 45 photos of women aged 21 to 35 were doctored to look tan. The original photos and the doctored versions were posted on the site at different times.
The researchers found that the darker version was twice as likely to be rated as more attractive. Meanwhile, campaigns by health organisations like the American Academy of Dermatology to warn the public about the skin cancer risks of tanning have had limited success.
“People think that tanned individuals are more attractive, healthier looking, and it’s incredibly difficult to get someone not to do something that perceive as providing them with a positive perception. It was the same thing with smoking. Especially younger people have a hard time seeing themselves as getting older and having to deal with these risks,” said dermatologist Audrey Kunin.