Fake Tan

According to this blog post there is a drug that was recently approved for trials that spurs the production of melatonin. In other words, it gives you a tan without exposure to the sun (the natural way to produce melatonin). Melatonin is a product of our bodies that protects our skin from the sun's rays. The producers say this drug will be used on people whose bodies produce so little melatonin that going outside is unsafe.

My guess is that that is, indeed, the original intent for the drug, but that it may become widely available for recreational use. In fact, the post mentions another black market drug that supposedly has the same effect. But here's the thing, I've always thought that the reason people find tanned skin attractive is because not everyone has it. The same goes for fit bodies. If everyone is tan from this drug or everyone is fit from some miracle once-a-day pill, then people will no longer be as attracted to that physical characteristic simply because it is no longer rare. In other words, people are attracted to things that are not commonplace. As soon as fitness and tanning are achieved by simply taking a pill, and everyone is taking those pills, then something else--something not so easily obtained--has to take their place as "hotness indicators."