I Need A Vacay After Researching The “Tan Line Porn” Discussed On ‘Summer House’

I know, I know, we listen and we don’t judge, but the amount of times West Wilson has brought up his porn preferences on Summer House is two too many. Now there’s nothing uncommon about watching porn, in fact, it’s perfectly healthy, but these just aren’t the dudes I need to know more about sexually given what they’re doing openly in the house (cough, Jesse’s 37-minute toe-sucking, cough) is enough intel to last a lifetime. No, these are the dudes I want to see zapped in the stomach to see how period pains feel, as teased in the trailer, but I guess good things come to those who wait.

Speaking of waiting, Carl also got alarmingly transparent this summer, discussing his celibacy with the group as he prepared to “have fun” with Lil. (Celibacy: another perfectly healthy choice, even if I’d rather be watching the girls yap over espresso martinis.) In episode 11 of Summer House’s ninth season, after prodding by none other than West Wilson, Carl shares his go-to porn category. I ruined my search history finding out what “tan line porn” is so you don’t have to (thanks, Carl).

What is tan line porn?

Tan line porn is sexual content that features women with strong tan lines. That seems obvious, but I had to know why it was its own popular category for all the men out there. As reported in Vice, there are deep trenches of men down bad for naked women bearing tan lines that are only growing since 2023. They congregate in various forums, including Reddit’s 650K-strong Sub, r/TanLines. If you Google tan line porn (don’t recommend on your work laptop, FWIW) Porn Hub will immediately have you covered with an entire category dedicated to the aesthetic.

All things considered, this is a pretty tame (if not niche, as Kyle says) kink for Carl to put on the table. Hence West admitting that his own taste in porn is probs “too far gone” for tan lines to “do much” for him. Oh, what a charmer!

Why do people find tan line porn hot?

Tan line porn typically features women, often blonde, light-skinned women, with deep dark tan lines. According to anonymous tan fans who spoke to Vice, the turn-on isn’t quite “a fetish,” but a strong attraction to the sensation that tan lines reveal another layer of even more exclusive nudity. AKA, as one Redditor puts it, tan lines are like “highlighting the best part” of the female body hidden by clothing (yes, I’m talking boobs and butts) since those areas are much lighter than legs and arms after tanning. As another Redditor put it even more simply, they’re “nature’s lingerie,” which can make porn sexier.

Plus, with tan lines being off-trend in recent years (due to self-tanning and even more recently the popularity of the clean girl aesthetic), harsh tan lines are a vintage throwback, too, which ofc goes a long way when it comes to porn.

What do tan lines mean in porn?

Some more niche corners of the internet suggest that tan lines could be a subtle way to show off an interest in BDSM, AKA visualizing tan lines as something specifically left behind by bondage.