From Coco Chanel to SPF: A brief history of sunbathing

DRAGGING the sun loungers from their winter tomb and bouncing the dust off the weave with a flat hand, got me thinking about the whole backyard business of tanning. Baby oil and tin foil — you know who you are.

The WHO, the HSE and the Irish Cancer Society have done their level best to get us to wise up and cover-up, but bronzing, tangerine foundation and worst of all, frolicking on the beach in varying degrees of golden allure remains a staple of celebrity posturing. On the sly (hopefully) sheltering under SPF 30 — we’re still at it, and laud the woman with the sunshine kissed puss when she rolls in from the Costa.