In the summer months, many women bear a singular accessory: the tan line. Despite the ubiquity of sunscreen, faux self-tanners, and waning popularity since peaking in the 80s and 90s, tan lines remain an iconic, erotic symbol. The tan line is imbued with meaning: a mark of leisure, a memory of a bikini, and a suggestion of the things that remain hidden. Naturally, a fixation upon tan lines can become a fetish for some—and according to data from Reddit and porn site Clips4Sale, tan lines’ sexual power is undergoing a revival. r/TanLines is among one of the biggest NSFW communities on Reddit, with nearly 650,000 members. The subreddit, which has been around for 13 years, is filled with nudes posted by fans and creators alike. Notably, it has more than quadrupled in membership size in the last four years. Mostly white, often blonde women with golden arms and milky white breasts fill the pages, bouncing in GIFs and posing in carefully shot mirror selfies to obscure their faces. The sharper the tan line, the more popular the post. There’s something about the harsh contrast—the clearly defined contour of what was once covered by cloth and now no longer is. Many people who appreciate tan lines likely don’t think twice about it. After all, does the appeal of an attractive, tanned woman whose skin is exposed really require much psychoanalyzing? But even so, it’s this very dynamic that has made it a particular niche for some. “When you would see a woman naked with tan lines, you knew you were seeing something others weren’t, even though it is still a naked body either way,” said Matt, 35, a tan line lover who mentioned growing up in a beach town. “It’s almost like a layer of clothing—the tan bit has been exposed and darkened, and the non-tanned bits are more private,” said another anonymous fan. “The tan lines are just evidence of that. Whatever is not tanned is untouched by the sun, so it’s more private or forbidden even.” In his case, he tells me, it’s not as though he actively seeks out tan line content; it’s a preference he’s casually stumbled upon. “I wouldn’t say it’s a fetish, like I go out of my way to see tan line nudes or porn, but it is enough of a turn-on that I’ve noticed or stopped scrolling, like ‘tan lines, oooooh.’”
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For both of these guys, there’s an element of nostalgia to it, perhaps thanks to an affinity for porn of the past. Back then, it was more common to see tanlines from the sun or tanning beds, since sun tanning wasn’t as stigmatized as a health risk. But as the Reddit numbers suggest, it may be rising in popularity once again. And according to Averty Martin, a representative from the porn/fetish marketplace site Clips4Sale, sales of tan-related videos have jumped 20 percent in the last year. On Clips4Sale, “tan bodies” make up its own category of over 1000 videos, and 45 percent of those mention tan lines specifically. There, one can find videos like “Tan Line Worship” or “Big Titty Tan Lines,” as well as any variety of more mainstream porn scenarios that just happen to feature women with tan lines. “Tan lines are such an incredibly common fetish that many people who have it may not even recognize it as such, like the attraction to long legs or blonde hair,” said Martin. “Tan lines not only frame and highlight the body, but they also hint at the removal of clothing, which is itself a major fetish.Martin agreed that there is something about the past at play here but said that perhaps the newer stigma of tanning could add to the appeal. “People often associate it with the porn of the 1980s and 90s,” they said, “But in a skincare-obsessed society, tans are increasingly taboo, and anything that’s prohibited carries with it an added charge.”While there’s little explicit evidence of this on either Reddit or Clips4Sale, it is possible that something about potentially damaging one’s skin plays into the appeal. More likely, though, it’s the suggestion of being carefree, unconcerned about the consequences, whatever they may be. This has played into the sexiness of tan lines from the start: whether you’re unconcerned about getting a sunburn or just enjoying summer fun, tan lines represent this same sort of relaxed, stress-free attitude. Be it in the context of our sunscreen-heavy, anxiety-driven culture or not—why wouldn’t highlighting the parts of a woman that are usually kept covered be sexy?“When you would see a woman naked with tan lines, you knew you were seeing something others weren’t.”