Warning: reading this will make you want to go and buy a hat... or ten.
True story: 2 in 3 of your friends will be diagnosed with skin cancer at some point in their lives.
Another true story: Australia has the highest skin cancer rate in the world.
Now, go back and actually read those true stories out loud, because you probably just skimmed over them.
I'm pretty sure I'd seen these statistics before too, floating around on posters and popping up on those government-funded infomercials, but I probably had way more important things to deal with at the time, like checking my Instagram feed for the 19th time that morning.
Time for a reality check.
Coming from someone who used to hit the beach in Brazilian bikinis during high school, and return with butt cheeks so raw that I could barely sit down, it's fair to say enough damage has been done and it's time to get smart.
The issue this post is focussed on may seem somewhat more serious than the wardrobe dilemmas I usually tackle, but Pretty Shady's message for our generation is one I felt compelled to write about because it's so simple, and it needs to happen.
We, and by that I mean me, you, my friends and your friends, your brothers, my sisters (you get the point) can stop skin cancer one summer at a time by taking some really simple preventative measures.
While Australians have officially bid summer adieu and those in the Northern Hemisphere are counting down until they can bid adieu to wearing heavy coats and too many layers of clothing, the issue of sun damage and skin cancer remains as prevalent as ever.
The good news is that there's a thing called a hat, and sunscreen, and sunglasses, and a beach umbrella, that are going to save us all. If only we'll just let them!
But if you're not willing to do it for your skin, do it because a) hats are awesome (think Lack of Color and big panama hats), b) sunglasses are like the sprinkles on top of your ice cream and, c) sunscreen will make you look younger when you're older and it's a lot cheaper than Botox.
Wearing vintage hat, Sunday Somewhere sunglasses, Alexander wang sweater, ASOS skirt, Marc Jacobs boots, By Charlotte necklace and Luv AJ earrings.