The “Tanning Mom” Reveals a Paler Skin Tone for In Touch Magazine

Are you weird and pale? That is how Patricia Krentcial says she feels after agreeing to stop tanning for a full month in order to appear on the cover of In Touch.

Krentcial, 44, became an overnight celebrity and a what-not-to-do-in-the-tanning salon when she was charged with second-degree child endangerment for allegedly allowing her then 5 year old daughter in a tanning booth. Immediately, the focus shifted from whether or not she allowed her daughter to be burned in a tanning booth, but to her over-baked appearance.

Today, Krentcial pales in comparison to her former self. No longer is she a dark shadow, the only color the white of her eyes and her teeth. After a full month of resisting the artificial tanning booths, self-tanning creams and lotions, her skin has a healthier glow that the artificial tanning seemed to mask.

So many questions can be asked about this situation. Did the media exploit Krentcial’s obvious addiction to tanning? Did Krentcial exploit herself in order to shift the focus from her potential criminal deeds to something less punishable by the courts? Of course, the court of public opinion is usually harsher than a judge and jury. And lastly, after the celebrity and the publicity fade what happens to this woman and her family? Fifteen minutes of fame cannot cure bad parenting and addiction.

Judging another human is hard for me to do (even if my husband thinks I can do it with ease), but Krentcial does make it a little easier. I have a hard time believing that one photo shoot and one month tan-free has made her a changed woman. I don’t know about the situation with her daughter. I try to believe that people are inherently good. But perhaps I am just naive.

For this random thought piece, I am going to let YOU finish the thought! Write to me and let me know what you think. We will publish as many editorials as we can.

Do you think the tanorexia mom is worth talking about? Or should we invest our time and energy into more important matters than a person’s right to choose the shade of their skin?