[originaltext] Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color. Whe

Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color. Where and how we live after we are born is important too. For instance, our skin color greatly depends on how much sunshine we get.
    Centuries ago, most people in Europe were peasants and had to work in the fields all day. On the other hand, noblemen did not have to work. They stayed indoors and remained pale. You could always tell a nobleman from a peasant because the peasant had a tan. As a result, noblewomen did their best to keep their skins as light as possible. A skin so pale was considered a mark of great beauty and nobleness.
    During the Industrial Revolution, farmers left their fields and went to work in factories, mines and mills. Working for long hours in those dark places makes their skins pale. Wealthy people, however, could afford to travel to sunny countries. They lay around on the beaches and got a tan, which became a sign of wealth. In Western Europe and North America pale skin is no longer desirable. The desire for a quick tan has led to the invention of pills that darken the skin without exposure to sunlight.
    So there are three answers to the question “Where does our color come from?”—It comes from the genes we inherit. It comes from the conditions in which we live. And it can come from a bottle that we buy at the drugstore on the corner.