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As spring kicks into high gear and summer quickly approaches, it's time for the inevitable discussion of sunshine and skincare:

My friend is "tanorexic" - a term another friend and I first used in college when I roomed with a woman who couldn't get enough of the sun - and the sun just couldn't get her tan enough. We knew there was no comparison with the devastating effects of being anorexic, but the syndromes seemed to have a lot more in common than just being health issues that largely affect women.

They're easily identifiable. Their ranks include that co-worker or that woman behind the counter at the drugstore who looks as if she's spent an entire summer in the tropics, even though the last bits of snow have barely melted. Some tanorexics appear orange or leathery, but more often they're just unseasonably or consistently overbronzed.

Wow, way to be fair and balanced. Um, hello? Smoking is cool, but tanning isn't? C'mon — they're both awesome. Tanorexics are edgy, awesome, and completely undervalued in society. If the paper of record isn't going to speak for these endangered genius virtuosos, who will? Donatella Versace needs your support!

It's Only May, And The Tanorexics Are Already Complaining [NYT]