Ditch the whitening: New Thai magazine celebrates beautiful tanned skin

No more crazy whitening trends like salmon sperm soap and gluta injections.

With skin color defining beauty in Thai culture for so long, the dominance of the whitening craze era looks like it is facing a serious challenge now that a local magazine has set itself a goal to promote a natural, sun-kissed complexion.

TAN, a new bilingual magazine founded by renowned Thai musician and rapper Joey Boy, will hit the racks Tuesday as it promotes the beach and travel culture. Going against the booming industry of whitening products in Thailand, TAN will embrace bronzed skin and encourage Thais to leave their air-conditioned comfort zone and go into the sunlight without being scared of getting darker.
 

 

“We want to inspire people to be brave to go out and do something. Just go out in the sun and get tan. Whatever it is you want to do, do it, “ Joey Boy said in an interview with Woody Morning Talk.

The new magazine will feature real-life stories from various perspectives, along with travel tips, reviews and activities in Thai destinations for both native and foreign explorers.

As a cycling traveler himself, Joey Boy says, “Sometimes we don’t even know where we want to go. We all get stuck in crowds and traffic. TAN wants people to go travel in their own style, instead of following popular attractions and trends.”

The print and online magazine will be in both Thai and English. To start the “TANism” movement, the first issue’s cover topics include beach addiction, travel savvy and hedonism, with stories from the founder of Herschel Supply Lyndon Cormack and Vogue model Kusuma Chawdon.

Several celebrities and social media influencers who love beaches and bronzed skin will feature in an online campaign where they give their thoughts on tanned skin to promote the magazine.

“TAN is the color of the experience of going out to achieve your dreams.” —  Bas Yingcharoen, baseman of “The Mousses” rock band.

“I’m not black, I’m Nutella.” — Kamm Tatpicha, owner of clothingline Niftyfifties Kamm Tatpicha

 

“TAN is my true color. As being 100% Thai, I was born with this skin color and never ever wanna change a thing about it.” — @UBBYIBBY, PR director

“TAN skin is the sign of adventure, meeting new people and new life stories. I feel that getting darker is an evidence that I have gained new experiences.” — @ALEMSLEEP, graphic designer

“TAN is the color of skin that foreigners pay to have and Thais fear to have, even though they can easily get a tan for free.” — @Joker_Urface, general manager at Rip Curl



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