I think you look great.... just like me when I was 17.

Seriously, a nice tan does make you look better, but there’s no doubt it’s bad for your skin if you overdo it. A friend of mine did the tanning thing too, back in the eigthies, she looked gorgeous, but when I saw her a few years later, her skin was kind of leathery and brownish/grey - not very flattering.

Funny, back in the 20ties - yeah, OK I wasn’t around then, but I know it was high fashion to be a pale as possible. The reason was that pale women “sent the message” to others that they didn’t have to work in the fields for a living.

Good luck on the competion!