As I was reading about the alleged Peeping Tom incident in a downtown tanning salon, I reflected back on my own, naïve days of tanning. It's a scary concept, all those times of disrobing in an unfamiliar facility owned by a stranger. It's a vulnerable feeling.

And I wish I would have realized it back then, yet it's only now that I am seriously considering it.

I never visited Tanfastique. I haven't been tanning downtown at all this year. But, in the past, I have indulged in moments -- phases, rather -- of weakness, and purchased packages.

You know, to look good for prom. Or because it was really cheap freshman year. And it's a slippery slope.

I'd been seriously considering writing off tanning forever. And then I read about this story in the newspaper, and the concern solidified. But why did it take this for me to realize how detrimental it is?

The acceptance of the alluring fake tan is a phenomenon, which we should all stop and consider. Tanners are privileged to smooth skin tones and a boost of self-confidence. And tanning salons post literature that seems to hold no real argument of substance.

Most importantly, tanning directly defies the health care community -- which we should, ideally, be obeying religiously.

Everyone has an opinion on it. Most guys will say they find fake-baked girls unattractive. Even a Pearl Jam message board has a forum on fake tanning. Yet the conflicting sects of our population have yet to hold a real debate. Everyone is concerned about offending one another.

What is it about our culture when we willingly drop our clothes and, often, extravagant amounts of money, to lie in a bed to obtain a "fake tan"? Every time a tanner lies in a bed or stands in a booth, he or she is effectively throwing away a half an hour of the day.

But they still manage to attract customers, nearly effortlessly. They'll produce some crap reason, like it stimulates Vitamin D, something found only in sunlight and fortified milk.

It will bring out highlights in your hair, boost your immune system. It'll make you feeeel gooood. And don't forget that tan skin is a great accessory to a hot outfit.

You too, can look like a Paris Hilton.

See, it's a mindset. Where does tanning fit with beauty? What is beautiful, and why isn't it au naturel? Once upon a time, it was all the rage to be a pale female. This signified the elite, who did not have to work or spend time outside.

Then a hundred years passed, and we're all scrambling for the baby oil and fighting over the best spot on the beach.

But we go to school in central Pennsylvania. The natural path to the fake tan is unavailable.

But with fake-baking, there is a line to be drawn, and some just don't get it. Some girls tan just to get that healthy glow.

Fair enough.

But I believe it's safe to say that this objective isn't sought without being vain.

So when is it enough? Where does the healthy glow turn into screaming orange; are you going to be objective enough to see it; are your friends going to alert you when you've had enough of the fluorescent light?

I don't know about you, but I've seen my fair share of Oompa Loompas.

And you know exactly what I'm talking about. Oompas, for short -- they breeze past you on campus, or sit next to you in class. Most often it's a girl, but the boys are guilty too. One glimpse and you turn away in pure remorse.

But you're human, fascinated by car wrecks, war movies and other general feats beyond explanation, and you sneak another glance. You're embarrassed for her, you conclude. You think, Honey, you've had enough.

Last year, well before spring break, I watched an older woman look one of these girls up and down in disgust.

She turned to me and said, ''I thought spring break was next week.'' I smiled sheepishly, offering, ''Well ... I guess she's ready for it.'" Or, as a friend of a friend eloquently said, its wintertime; time for your winter color.

I'll ask it again: What is beautiful, and why isn't it natural? Suck it up and wait until the sun comes out. Isn't it funny that we value the tan so much that we have abandoned our inhibitions and are willing to get naked in the business of a stranger?

Yeah, so alleged Peeping Toms aside, the trend of tanning still seems sillier than all of the iPod toting, Ugg-booted, trucker hat-sporting, North Face kids combined.