Snooki doesn’t “see the harm” in tanning, will allow her son to fake bake

Even though she is just 4′ 8″, Snooki’s look is anything but understated. From her famous hair poof to bold makeup to tiny clothes, the Jersey Shore breakout star is nearly as famous for her style as for her hard-partying. She’s also unabashed about her beliefs — no matter how controversial they may be. In a recent interview with xoVain, Snooki said she won’t have a problem with her son fake baking once he’s a teenager.

“I mean, if you go every day, obviously that’s not okay. But if you go once in a while, I don’t see the harm in that,” the new mother explained.

Unfortunately, she’s plain wrong. Research shows that exposure to UV light contributes to melanoma. Although UV rays come from both the sun and tanning lamps, tanning beds are three to 15 times more powerful than the sun rays. (For example, a person would only have to tan in a bed that has four times the strength of the sun for 15 minutes to get the same effects as one hour in the sun.)

Even sporadic use of tanning beds multiplies the risk of developing skin cancer: According to a study from the University of Minnesota, people who use tanning beds for any length of time are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma. According to the FDA, 7,300 Americans die from melanoma each year.

Even though she will allow her son to use tanning beds, Snooki has acknowledged their dangers in the past. She previously spoke out against “Tanorexic Mom,” the New Jersey woman who allowed her five-year-old to fake bake.

“That b***h is crazy… You are not supposed to take kids there,” Snooki said last May.

Snooki, who helped coin the phrase “GTL” for “gym, tan, laundry,” quit using a tanning bed while she was pregnant. She’s also embraced healthier tanning alternatives, such as sprays. The entrepreneurial reality TV star even released her own line of bronzing lotions.

Here’s a Snooki & JWoww clip in which Snooki reveals to Jionni that she wants to go back to tanning for the first time since being pregnant:

Even though she’s become a bit more conservative with her tanning, Snooki remains in favor of cosmetic enhancements. She told xoVain that she plans to get a breast augmentation once she is done having kids.

“I’ve always wanted a boob job because I have big boobs, but when I take the bra off, they sag. I hate that,” Snooki said.

Along with the interview, Snooki also underwent a dramatic makeunder.

Although she didn’t comment on the new look, the xoVain editors noted that Snooki didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about the transformation. Even though she wasn’t a big fan, the demure look is definitely closer to her current “classy-tacky” style than the circa 2008-2011 “trashy, cheap, tacky” Snooki. That style shift can likely be attributed to motherhood, which has softened the star. Although she still enjoys occasional nights on the town (including a recent drunken outing with Jenny McCarthy), Snooki said she now prefers staying at home with her son and fiancé.