On a lucky day, I pick the second-lightest foundation shade on the shelf at Sephora. (Drugstores don't even HAVE my color.) The undersides of my wrists look like they've never seen the sunlight (I don't think they have, actually), and a sweep of blush is my face's saving grace.

Society doesn't like pale.

Tanning lotions, gels, even body washes — the goal is to achieve the ultimate "Summer glow." There's also the highly unsafe option of stripping your clothes off and baring your flesh to the sun's damaging UV rays, all in the name of looking a little more golden, because duh, you look way hotter when you're tan.

I beg to differ. I'm pale AF and don't mind it . . . not one little bit. Here's why:

1. All shades are beautiful.

I love America for a lot of reasons, and the fact that it's a total melting pot is one of 'em. The vast array of colors that comprise our country is a pretty wonderful thing, and no one skin tone is less beautiful than another. That's a fact.

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2. I was born this way.

I'm naturally pale, so why on Earth should I work to change it? #NaturalBeauty, y'all.

3. I'm preserving my skin.

So tanning is really, really bad for both your health and appearance, if you haven't heard. I don't go a day without some form of SPF on my face, unless it's, like, 40 degrees and cloudy outside (and even then, I should be wearing it!). By staying away from the sky's big ball of hot gases, I'm preventing varying forms of skin damage, including sun spots, deep wrinkles, and leather face, which I hear are total joys.

4. Tans are superannoying to keep up with, anyway.

In high school, I went to a tanning booth to look AWESOME (eye-roll) for prom, which was stupid and pointless. I thought I would look weird in my deep-red gown if I was pale AF, so I tanned until I looked like I basked in the sun for a living. And skin cancer runs in both sides of my family! Thank heavens I eventually came to realize the utter recklessness of charring my skin, artificially or otherwise, and gave up tanning at the age of 18 (not too shabby).

5. I don't have to put on any extra makeup for Halloween.

I'm already a vampire, what with my pale skin and all. I could pass for Bella post-Edward bite any day. And since I'm white as a ghost, I wouldn't even need a sheet poked with two holes! Really, being pale just saves me extra money on Halloween. And who doesn't love that?