Tuesday, May 12, 2015

What's up my sleeve?

I try to wear long-sleeved shirts in boy mode as long as possible into the spring in order to prevent my arms from tanning inappropriately for a woman. By that I mean having a visible tan line approximately three-quarters of the way up my arm when I wear a sleeveless dress or top.

Until this past weekend, the weather has been cooperative and I was comfortable wearing long sleeves during our cool spring. However, summer arrived suddenly the past few days with temperatures peaking in the mid 80s (F). But I have stuck with long sleeves in light of my upcoming long weekend as a sleeveless woman.

Two people wondered why I was wearing long sleeves in the heat and my excuse was that the days started off on the cool side, which was true, but not the truth.

Some people have opined that I might be better off wearing long-sleeved women's garments. Then my tan would not be an issue. But my retort is that my arms are more feminine than the average guy's and I like to show them off.

In the past, I've used self-tanning creams and lotions on my upper arms to even out the tan, but I don't like that solution because it takes days of daily use before it is effective and the you must continue to use the stuff in order to maintain the "tan." And some brands have a strong odor.

Online, I read about another solution that sounds more attractive: using a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. That sounds like the ticket and I am going to try it.



Source: Just Fab
Wearing Just Fab






Source: The Sun
Cindy née Richard and Natalie née Nathan

5 comments:

  1. As I work predominately outdoors I have always had the problem of a "Farmer's tan" as well. last year I wore a combination of short sleeves, sleeveless tee shirts and vest (singlet) type tops. When I went on holiday in November it had made all the difference to the tan I showed off by the pool.

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  2. I love that dress. It looks great on you.

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I will be wearing it out for the first time this weekend (the photo was taken in the Fashion to Figure dressing room).

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  3. AnonymousMay 18, 2015

    In answering your question, what's up my sleeve my answer is it's your arm/hand _____.

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