Muh fair skin.

[john2]

Yes pale skin is seen as high class academic trait and tanned meant you were out slaving in the fields all day “red neck”

Muh academia.

Don't go out in the sun goy! It's bad for you, it can give you skin cancer... sit inside a classroom and study hard so you can work for us in the future instead!

In the modern world, white people having tanned skin means they have the money to travel around and enjoy the sunshine. Tanned skin is high SMV and NT.

Aside from these perceptions... tanned skin on its own naturally looks better and healthier than pale skin. Paleness/whiteness = your skin is colourless and being colourless is boring. Coloured eyes look better than black eyes. The same way coloured skin looks better than pale or white skin.