DIY Fake Tan Lines Are The Beauty Trend Going Viral On TikTok This Summer
Since the invention of TikTok, our culture has been hit with one absurdity after another. Granted, a lot of the content is meant purely to entertain and even empower as we saw with the microfeminism movement, but other times things pop up, go viral, and before you know it, someone is boiling a piece of chicken in a vat of NyQuil after consuming a dozen Benadryl pills. Both of which, among many other TikTok challenges, can be deadly.
But even when TikTok isn't serving up potentially fatal challenges for people to do for, well, whatever reasons inspire people to do such things, it's still an endless rabbit hole of mind-boggling mayhem— case in point: DIY fake tan lines. Recently, TikToker Erin Dugan Jurchak posted a tutorial on how to give yourself fake tan lines. As Jurchak explained to her 2.8 million followers, "You can give yourself realistic-looking tan lines without the sun damage ... it's giving tropical beach vacation in a safe way."
@erinduganjurchak TOO MUCH BLUSH LMAO you get the point!! I learned this little tip from @Gih Coelho last year and never looked back 😆 #faketan #tanlines #makeuptok #beautytok
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While it's pretty clear that Jurchak is having more fun with the concept of fake tan lines instead of trying to legitimatize the look, the comment section is full of people asking the same question, "Why?" Well, there really isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
Why people are jumping on this trend
As Jurchak pointed out, when it comes to tan lines, these are the safest ones you can have. But there's also another factor: some people really like the look of tan lines. There's even a fetish for it. According to Vice, one of the biggest NSFW communities on Reddit is devoted to tan lines.
"Tan lines are such an incredibly common fetish that many people who have it may not even recognize it as such, like the attraction to long legs or blonde hair," a representative from the porn/fetish marketplace site Clips4Sale, Avery Martin, told Vice. "Tan lines not only frame and highlight the body, but they also hint at the removal of clothing, which is itself a major fetish ... But in a skincare-obsessed society, tans are increasingly taboo, and anything that's prohibited carries with it an added charge." That's right; while many of us do whatever we can to avoid awkward tan lines, there's a whole subculture that's super into them.
If we subtract the fetish aspect, a reason why someone might want some DIY tan lines is that they're sick of seeing everyone in Positano getting real tan lines, so they feel the need to play keep-up. Or it could be as simple as finding humor in them, as TikToker Majestie explained in the comment section of Jurchak's video: "Tan lines are so funny to me. My goal is to always have crazy-looking ones by the end of summer."
How to give yourself fake tan lines
No matter your reason behind wanting fake tan lines of your own, they're pretty easy to pull off. All you need is some bronzer, blush, washi tape, and, of course, the will to make some iconic faux tan lines. "Apply a little bit of washi tape where your bikini strap would go," instructs Jurchak in the video, as she gets playful with the type of tan lines you can give yourself based on the type of bikini top you were wearing in this land of fake tan lines and pretend beach days.
Once you have the tape just where you want it, meaning you've created a design that suits you, apply the bronzer and blush over the tape. When you think you've achieved the level of fake sun damage that you want to rock, remove the tape, et voilà! You have unlocked Paris Hilton's favorite Y2K fashion trend and have yourself some fake tan lines across your chest! As for your back? You either need to ask a friend to help you with that or just hope that no one notices. Although, if someone does, that will be a fun conversation to have.