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6 I f you stood outside my school in Glasgow,” says 16- year -old T ony Cowan, “you’d think you were in St T ropez!” Before you read: Do you li ke havi ng a t an? How doe s i t make you f eel? Image is Everything? Teenagers are bombarded wi t h* i mage s of t he ‘ per f e c t body’ . Psyc hol ogi st Dr Li nda Papadopoul os s ays, “Look i ng good has be c ome so i mpor t ant t o t eenagers. They be li eve t hey c an’ t ge t t he gi rl or boy t hey want unl e ss t hey have a good t an or are a c er t a i n we i ght . ” MOR E AND MOR E BR ITISH TEE NAGE RS AR E GETTI NG A T AN. WHY DO THEY DO IT? AND WHA T AR E THE R ISKS*? TEE N T A N A DD IC TS “ The Craze for Colour A hundred years ago, peopl e li ked pa l e sk i n. Then f ashi on l egend Coc o Chane l got sunburnt * on a boa t i n 1924. Suddenl y everyone want ed a t an. Today, c e l ebri t i e s li ke Vi c t ori a Be c kham and Je ssi c a Si mpson c ont i nue t he f ashi on. Sevent y per c ent of Bri t i sh peopl e t hi nk sunt ans make t hem l ook ‘ more a tt ra c t i ve’ , a cc ordi ng t o* Canc er Re searc h UK. “If I don’ t have a t an, ” s ays Tony, “I j ust f ee l ugl y and I c an’ t go out . ” The Risks for T eens Too muc h sun and UV* c an c ause sk i n c anc er*. Ea c h t i me our sk i n be c ome s t anned, t he sk i n c e ll s ge t damaged. Canc er Re searc h UK c onf i rms t ha t 73% of 16- t o-24-year- ol ds know t he li nk be t ween t anni ng and sk i n c anc er, but t hey won’ t c hange t he i r habi t s. Dr Charl ott e Proby a t Canc er Re searc h UK s ays, “It i s sk i n damage earl y i n li f e t ha t i s most li ke l y t o re sul t i n sk i n c anc er l a t er on. ” Tony use s a sunbed t hree t i me s a week and he knows t he ri sks. Hi s mum want s hi m t o st op. So will he c hange? “I j ust woul dn’ t li ke t o c ont empl a t e* li f e wi t hout a sunt an. ” There’s no doubt about i t : a l ong wi t h t he ‘ri ght ’ shoe s, c l ot he s and ha i r, a t an i s now a must -have f or many Bri t i sh t eens – boys and gi rl s.
Transcript of TEEN TAN ADDICTS - Scholastic UKimages.scholastic.co.uk › assets › a › 3a › 9d ›...
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If you stood outside my school in Glasgow,” says 16-year-old Tony Cowan, “you’d think you were inSt Tropez!”
Before you read:Do you like having a tan? How does it make you feel?
Image is Everything?
Teenagers are bombarded with*images of the ‘perfect body’.Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulossays, “Looking good has become soimportant to teenagers. They believethey can’t get the girl or boy theywant unless they have a good tan orare a certain weight.”
MORE AND MORE BRITISH TEENAGERS ARE GETTING A TAN. WHY DO THEY DO IT? AND WHAT ARE THE RISKS*?
TEEN TAN ADDICTS“
The Craze for Colour
A hundred years ago, people likedpale skin. Then fashion legendCoco Chanel got sunburnt* on aboat in 1924. Suddenly everyonewanted a tan. Today, celebritieslike Victoria Beckham and JessicaSimpson continue the fashion.Seventy per cent of British peoplethink suntans make them look‘more attractive’, according to*Cancer Research UK. “If I don’thave a tan,” says Tony, “I just feelugly and I can’t go out.”
The Risks for Teens
Too much sun and UV* can causeskin cancer*. Each time our skinbecomes tanned, the skin cells getdamaged. Cancer Research UKconfirms that 73% of 16-to-24-year-olds know the link between tanningand skin cancer, but they won’tchange their habits. Dr CharlotteProby at Cancer Research UK says,“It is skin damage early in life that ismost likely to result in skin cancerlater on.”
Tony uses a sunbed three times aweek and he knows the risks. Hismum wants him to stop. So will hechange? “I just wouldn’t like tocontemplate* life without a suntan.”
There’s no doubt about it: along withthe ‘right’ shoes, clothes and hair, atan is now a must-have for manyBritish teens – boys and girls.
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THE TANNING TRAPrevision of
conditional sentences
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SPECIAL REPORTCD 2 Tracks 11 & 12
Which of these would you do tochange your image?
change your diet increase your exercisebuy new clothes get a new haircutuse a sunbed or sunbatheget a safe spray-on tanplastic surgerylearn something new
Number these 1 to 5 from mostimportant (1) to least important (5).
how you lookwhat you sayhow you actwhat you dohow you treat other people
If you could change one thingabout yourself, what would it be?
What do you likethe most aboutyourself?
Compare yourchoices with your friends. Do you agree?
SKIN STATS! The UK spends £40 million onsunbeds and tanning products each year! 3 million people in the UK use sunbeds! 70,000 people in the UK get skincancer each year! Only 25% of 24-year-olds usehigh-factor sunscreen and only 20%cover up in the sun or go in the shade at the hottest times.
SUNBEDSWhy do teens do it? It’s the mostnatural-looking tan. They can top itup* whenever they like.Why they shouldn’t… Today’shigh-powered sunbeds are reallybad for the skin. Research showsthat people who use sunbeds intheir teens and 20s are 75% moreat risk from skin cancer. CancerResearch UK believe that peopleunder 18 should never usesunbeds.
FAKE* TANSWhy do teens do it?Fake tans are safe,because they onlyaffect the surface ofyour skin.Why theyshouldn’t… You’lllook orange, make amess and smellterrible. “A bottled tanis a waste of time,”says one teen.
THE SUNWhy do people do it? We needsome sunshine! We get Vitamin Dfrom the sun and that’s veryimportant for our health.Why they shouldn’t… Too muchsun is dangerous. You should onlygo out at certain times of the day,and you need lots of very high-factor* suncream.
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YOU AND YOUR IMAGE
NO TANWhy do people do it? You saveyourself time, money and skincancer!And why they shouldn’t…No reason! We think… it’s time to love theskin you’re in!
" WORDWISE risk (noun) danger • to be bombarded with (verb) tosee everywhere all the time • to get sunburnt (verb) to have too much sun •according to (preposition) as shown by • UV (noun) ultra-violet light • skincancer (a disease of the skin which can kill you) • to contemplate (verb) tothink about • to top something up (verb) to add more to something that isalready there • high-factor (adjective) very strong • fake (adjective) not real
WHITENING CREAMSWhy do people do it? It’s not justwhite people whowant to get theperfect colour.Skin whiteners
have become popular among blackpeople who want to look likecelebrities Beyoncé and Halle Berry. And why they shouldn’t… Illegal whiteners contain dangerouschemicals. Whitening products arevery expensive.
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