Daniel Nester's fake bake
Daniel Nester, the CSR professor who recently stirred things up with a piece about IVF, is back in the Daily Beast this week with an account of his journey into the tanning culture of Albany:
Albany, N.Y., is an indoor tanning mecca, a hotbed of hot beds. There are more than 800 tanning salons in the greater capital region. Four-term Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings presides over ribbon-cuttings with a year-round bronze. At the historically Catholic college where I teach, students grow more preternaturally orange as winter progresses.
I have never fit in here. I was pasty-faced even for Brooklyn, and when I moved to this tanner's Valhalla I became even more freakishly white. And so, half anxious to fit in, half curious to learn the appeal, I decided to embark on an experiment in which I would join the ranks of the fake-baked to see how a deep, midwinter tan could change my life.
Noted: smelling "like a french fry" not the best way to seduce wife.
photo: The Daily Beast
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Comments
Eight HUNDRED?!
Governor Paterson should tax salons' patrons. Time spent tanning is much more harmful than non-diet soda. The state would get tens of thousands of dollars from Jennings himself.
... said James Cronen on Jan 6, 2009 at 2:24 PM | link
I attend the historically Catholic college that he speaks of (and yes, I have had Dan Nester as a professor more than once) and I do have to admit that I have been to both tanning salons on the corner of Madison and Ontario. What is more ridiculous is that I'm hispanic and only require about 3 and half minutes in the sun to become tan, but I still paid for it. I whole-heartedly agree with the inception of a tanthropological degree at Saint Rose.
... said Cecelia on Jan 6, 2009 at 11:09 PM | link
So... what you're saying is that Albany is the birthplace and incubator of the freakishly orange, middle-aged Oompa-Loompas that keep popping up in positions of power in NY State?
Being hilariously pasty myself, I'm not sure whether I should get my own fake tan to blend in, or simply accept my fate and welcome our new Willy Wonka overlords.
... said Kim on Jan 7, 2009 at 5:12 AM | link