Tuesday, November 1, 2011

College-Style

College-Style

Ghost Files: Rocking Pale Skin

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 05:54 AM PDT

By: Emily of The University of Georgia. Follow me @emilyhovis.

Anyone who knows me (or who has stalked me on Facebook) knows that I am an incredibly pale person. In fact, I am so pale that when I buy foundation, I am too pale to wear "classic ivory". Instead, I'm forced to buy "translucent" foundation, meaning I am part see-through. This past summer at my yearly physical, my doctor informed me that I am the palest person she has ever seen. She even suggested that I audition for a role as either a vampire in the Twilight saga or as a ghost in the Harry Potter films. While I am flattered that she thinks I'm attractive enough to fool legions of tween girls into believing that I am a bloodthirtsty monster or that I'm awesome enough to eternally roam the halls of Hogwarts, I must admit I wasn't overwhelming excited about this title. However, during my nineteen-year struggle with paleness, I have come to not only accept, but embrace, my lack of pigment.

Pale Beauty

Pale AND Curvy. Life was so much easier (except for the whole no internet, no AC, no cars thing…) “Venus of Urbino” by Titian

Back in the times of antiquity, women were considered beautiful if they were pale and carrying a few extra pounds (boy, was I born in the wrong millennium). Being pale meant you were affluent enough to not have to spend your days working in the fields under the blistering sun. Then, one day, Coco Chanel fell asleep on a yacht and changed two thousand years of status quo in an instant. Instead of fessing up that she had fallen asleep and consequently gotten tanner, Coco said that she meant to get a tan. Then, before she could even take back her statement, the U.S. was inundated with Oompa Loompas and other unnaturally orange folk. Now, us pale girls are left (glowing) in the dark with no other option but to embrace our ghost like appearance.

Pale Celebrities

These beautiful women look glamorous and confident with their pale complexions. Photo Credit.

Think of all the beautiful celebrities who grace the red carpet in Hollywood: Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Zooey Deschanel, Rachel McAdams, etc. All of these women are renowned for their beauty, and they all have one striking feature in common: their pale, natural complexions. These women are so relevant in pop culture and are revered for their beauty, yet girls our age try to emulate everything about them but their complexions. For some reason, girls are going to tanning beds in droves and spending hours laying out in the sun, but for what? To look like Snooki and the gang from Jersey Shore? It's perfectly fine to have some color, but please, keep it natural. There is absolutely nothing attractive about being orange and leathery. Let's keep the leather to our handbags.

Orange Tan

So, now we've made peace with our colorless selves, how do we show off our pale complexion? Us pale people typically look good in all shades of blues and purples. Pastels are another good choice. Some colors to avoid are red, orange and yellow. These warm colors clash with the cool tones in our skin, and if you're like me, these colors bring out the pink in your skin. And contrary to popular belief, black is not always flattering. While black can make the wearer look slimmer, it can also wash the wearer out. Personally, I try to avoid wearing white, because it's more camouflage than I can handle. There are exceptions to every rule, however, and with enough persistence, you can find pieces in every color that flatter your skin tone.

Clothing for Pale Skin Tone

The colors in these pieces will complement pale skin tones.

Thoughts

Do people sometimes confuse you for an albino? Have you accepted your pale skin? What looks do you think best accentuate your alabaster complexion? Comment below, email us at info@college-style.com, or tweet us @CollegeStyle12, or me @emilyhovis. We love to hear what you guys think!

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