Recently, a New Jersey mom was arrested for allegedly allowing her six-year-old daughter to catch some rays in the tanning booth after her daughter told the school nurse that her sunburn came from “tanning with mommy.” Although the mom said her daughter’s sunburn happened the old-fashioned way—playing outside—authorities weren’t buying it. They charged Patricia Krentcil with Second Degree Child Endangerment, and she’s now fighting to clear her name.
Despite Krentcil’s claims that she didn’t allow her daughter to hop in the tanning bed, a crime for anyone under the age of 14 in New Jersey, there is one thing that has to be working against her case: Her face.
(link to vid, as lj doesn't seem to like the embedding script)
Judging by her appearance on camera, Krentcil has spent many a day in the booth, so much so that I thought she was in blackface when I first glanced at the accompanying picture.
While child endangerment is a serious charge, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing hysterically as Krentcil explained the situation to her local news affiliate. I give them props, though. Throughout the entire news report no one mentioned her noticeably leathery skin or the fact that she looks utter ridiculous with her burnt sienna skin and too-blonde hair.
Although I can’t really comment on whether or not she endangered her child, judging by Krentcil’s skin she looks like she’s done enough damage to herself to last a lifetime.
Source.
My first thought as well. Holy shit, how can anyone ruin their body like this on purpose?!
I'm trying not to judge it negatively, and instead see it as a radical body-modification choice. I'm failing at that, but I'm trying.
And what's with having a small child in the same room as the tanning bed? That's just asking for trouble.
I'm glad they at least put a minimum age on these tanning beds and acted on the law. I can't imagine frying your children, too.
Maybe she has a psychological need to change away from what she was/is and is doing it that way. IN that case, she wouldn't see if wrong to expose her daughter to that either. Instead of 'just a few more pounds' it could be 'just a little bit darker' and I will be perfect.
So sad. So very very sad.
I'm not going to get all armchair psychologist and say there's an underlying issue at hand, here, but making fun of this woman isn't really the point of the news report. It's authorities taking her kid away because she must have let her daughter tan without any proof that she did other than how she looks.
Hope to god her kid really was outside with no sunblock on (hello, pale redhead, why aren't you swimming in sunblock??) and not lying in a tanning bed getting My First Melanoma.
Which to me means Mom is really putting herself at risk tanning that much.
Be mean to somebody if you want, but don't kid yourself that you're doing them some kind of favor.