Maynard High School Students Sign 'No Tanning' Pledge For Prom (VIDEO)

We thought we had seen it all this prom season -- a girls-only prom, a Mormon prom and a tornado-ravaged prom, to name a few -- but now a 'tanning-free' prom is taking over one Massachusetts high school. A group of concerned seniors at Maynard High School pledged to forgo tanning beds before the big dance this year, in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of melanoma and reduce their risk of skin cancer, ABC News reports.

For many prom-going girls -- particularly at Maynard High School -- tanning is an integral part of primping for the event, along with makeup application and elaborate updos.

"Our school is known for a lot of people tanning," said Allison Boss, the senior who organized the pledge. "Kids start in March because they want to be tanned in their dresses for prom."

Allison's message of slathering on the SPF instead of spending hours sunbathing seems to have hit a nerve at the school: 209 of the 238 seniors signed the pledge declaring that they would go pale for prom. And on the big night, the difference was noticeable.

"More people showed up with their natural skin color than in previous years, and everyone looked beautiful," she told ABC News.

In the wake of the tanning mom fiasco, the trend of overly-bronzed complexions is slowly making its way out of style. Fair-skinned stars like Lily Collins, Emma Stone and Rooney Mara are stealing the spotlight. And with concerns over skin cancer mounting and more states adopting tanning-bed bans for minors, increasing numbers of teens are choosing to ignore the siren song of sunbeds.

However, changing attitudes and habits around tanning will take time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that half of adults under 30 have gotten sunburnt in the past year -- the same amount as a decade ago. Moreover, women in their 20s are going to tanning salons an average of twice a month.

How do you feel about tanning? Do you think that states should be banning tanning beds for minors? Tell us in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen!

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Comments

[janet444]

07:19 PM on 05/18/2012

Go MHS! I didn't know about this, even though my son is a sophomore here. I'm not surprised, though. The kids at MHS are smart and responsible. I'm even more proud of them for encouraging their peers to put their health and well being above trends and "beauty.

[iLdoRight]

03:50 AM on 05/17/2012

Good idea, not tanning !
How many safer ways are there to display your beauty and engage another persons emotional system for a life long journey of love and assistance? Is there a special someone you want to make suffer by captivating their "heart" them having to watch you suffer with skin cancer and pay all those medical bills? Here is some information on skin cancer;

Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 75,000 cases of skin cancer in 2012. It accounts for almost 9,000 of the nearly 12,000 skin cancer deaths each year.
Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 2 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are found in this country each year. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 75,000 cases of skin cancer in 2012.

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/SunandUVExposure/skin-cancer-facts

[cager97]

05:20 PM on 05/16/2012

So, no tanning, huh? Whatever!

And to these people who want to ban the sex and alcohol on Prom Night....guess what.....more teens lose their virginity on this night than almost on any other night!

I did! And it was great!

[iLdoRight]

03:41 AM on 05/17/2012

How many do you want to suffer with you ?

[DivaDee]

04:59 PM on 05/16/2012

With all these "tanning" style lotions out there, that can help give you the glow you want, why would you destroy your skin, and risk skin cancer for a little color. I'm a pale skinned, redhead, who learned young, from watching a neighbor turn her skin into 'elephant hide' from constant tanning. She died in her fifties from advanced skin cancer. I'm 54 and never even go into the yard without my SPF, yet have a nice 'tanned' glow from using products like Jergens Natural Glow Lotion.

[deeandes]

04:49 PM on 05/16/2012

That's cool.

[pokerstarz]

03:52 PM on 05/16/2012

It's nice that they are raising awareness over something like this. My question is this, why are minors going to tanning salons? Who are the parents that think this is okay?
"Sure honey, here's 99.00, buy a subscription for UV rays, your natural color is just, well, embarrassing. "
smh

[halaniceguy]

03:05 PM on 05/16/2012

What Responsible Teens?? Now if we can only get them to sign a NO SEX and NO ALCOHOL. Then maybe they wont wake up 16 & Pregnant.

[Joe Schuster]

05:21 AM on 05/16/2012

Why are we not seeing pledges by these same kids (and/or parents) for "no drinking alcohol" and "no sex" for prom season. My gosh, the threat of drinking and driving or unprotected sex is much more life changing than sporting some color during the spring. Your story states "And with concerns over skin cancer mounting and more states adopting tanning-bed bans for minors, increasing numbers of teens are choosing to ignore the siren song of sunbeds. If that's accurate, then why does the American Cancer Society's deputy chief medical officer, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, state that regarding women and sunbeds... "I don't know that we're making any headway,"

are choosing to ignore the siren song of sunbeds" If so, why does

[Jenny-Ann]

03:31 PM on 05/16/2012

"increasing numbers of **teens** are choosing to ignore the siren song of sunbeds. "
"Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, state that regarding **women** and sunbeds... "I don't know that we're making any headway,"
You said it yourself. Dr. Lichtenfeld was talking about women, not teenagers.