Sunburn Art
A dangerous new trend, called "sunburn art," is searing its way into the social media spotlight this summer with a slew of hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. This viral craze has people across the globe selectively applying sunscreen to their bodies, then baking pictures and patterns into their skin.
While these temporary markings are both entertaining to social media followers and appealing to people hesitant to get more permanently inked, experts warn that the unprotected sun exposure these "tan tattoos" necessitate can lead to both skin cancer and skin aging, if overdone.
#SunburnArt
Sunburn art is popping up all over social media and all over people's bodies.
A young woman in Utah posted this picture to her Instagram account with the caption: "My tan line is pretty rad."
Nearly 20 of her followers responded with enthusiasm and inquired as to how they, too, could imprint such designs on their bodies.
"You just cover your skin with something and then tan outside for a while," she responded.
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A college student in Texas posted this photo to Instagram of the Batman logo burnt onto his chest.
The symbol for the caped crusader is one of the most popular designs among sunburn art enthusiasts.
#SunburnArt
An Oregon woman posted this photo of her sunburned leg to Instagram with the caption, "normal human alert."
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A woman in Washington state posted this Instagram photo of the intricate tanlines baked into her feet, June 2015, with the hashtags #toomuchsun, #fml, and #tantattoo.
So, this sunburn art at least doesn't appear to have been intentional.
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A man in Australia burnt the words "thug life" into his stomach in a reference to the deceased West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur.
In the photo's caption on Instagram, the man jokes that this sunburn art lasted for nine months.
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A 18-year-old woman displays her sunburn art with pride on Instagram, using only the hashtags #enjoysummertime and #tantatoo to caption her photo.
She most likely either painted these flowers down her right leg with sunscreen, or purchased some sort of sticker that she adhered to her leg in the sun, to bake in this massive design.
#SunburnArt
While experts warn that sunburn art can be extremely dangerous, there are safer ways to participate in this new trend as well.
Rather than laying out in the sun with stickers on their skin, people can wear those same stickers when getting an airbrush spray tan. This method achieves the same entertaining effect without all the harmful sun exposure.
In fact, companies like Red Bottoms Tan in California actually specialize in creating these sort of tan tattoos safely.
#SunburnArt
While sunburn art just recently exploded onto the scene as a viral social media trend, it's not really anything new. In fact, Hollywood has been poking fun at this sort of thing for years.
Take for example, this picture of Adam Sandler in the 1995 film "Billy Madison."
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Or who could forget the famous scene in "Police Academy 5," where Nick writes the word "dork" on a sleeping Captain Harris' chest, only to have it tanned in like that?
Yes, it seems the phenomenon of sunburn art has actually been around for decades. It's just cause for concern when teens around the globe begin experimenting with it at home.
#SunburnArt
A young woman in Germany posted this photo of a peace sign tanned into the skin between her shoulders, while reminiscing about summer in the winter of 2015.
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Here, a young Italian mother opts for a flowery sleeve tattoo.
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A man in Spain posted this Instagram photo of the anarchist symbol scorched into his back, July 2015, to mixed comments from his followers.
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A young woman in the United States posted this photo to Instagram with the caption:
"Because I'd rather look Mexican than white #whitegirlproblems #tantattoo #thattanthough #whitetobrown <3"
In the photo's comments, she informs followers that she used a sticker to achieve the design. They reportedly sell such stickers at tanning salons, as well as on the internet.
#SunburnArt
A 20-year-old woman in Barcelona, Spain, who describes herself as, "Just another weirdo who likes to take photos and draw," posted this photo to Instagram in June 2015 with the caption, "skully on a tan tattoo."
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While some people are opting for big and blaring sunburn art, others have been posting more subtle designs to social media.
Here, a British man with the handle @egyptianlad posts an Instagram photo of a small horseshoe-shaped "tan tattoo" on his chest.
Just like permanent tattoos, it seems these temporary tan tattoos come in all shapes and sizes.
#SunburnArt
A young woman posted this photo to her Instagram feed on July 4, 2015 with the caption:
"Summer means happy times and good sunshine #tattoo #suntattoo #sunshine #summertime #memories #goodtimes #smile #laugh #happy #fourthofjuly."
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A young woman in Germany posted this photo to Instagram of herself lying out in the process of creating sunburn art.
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This man in Slovakia, scorched what he describes as a symbol of "cyclicality" onto his chest.
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This 18-year-old man in Lithuania sunburned a full crest onto his chest.
