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Rappers at Coachella Get an A+ in Sun Safety

A$AP Ferg, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q in sunny Indio, California. Photo: Getty Images

The first weekend of Coachella 2019 was this weekend, and of course crop tops and an overall lack of pants were trending. But you can arguably have a lot more fun in the sun if you’re protected against its skin-damaging, hazardous rays. Few demonstrated this practice better than a trio of rappers who reminded us of the benefits of topping repeated SPF applications with a hat. Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q, and A$AP Ferg, the true influencers in attendance, all sported unapologetically wide-brimmed straw hats that provide a 360-degree halo of shaded refuge.

“I always stress to my patients that we need a broader approach to sun protection than just sunscreen,” says Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, a dermatologist based in Miami, which is almost as sunny as Indio. Ciraldo suggests wearing a wide-brimmed hat plus sunglasses on top of expected SPF because it protects easy-to-overlook areas like the back of the neck, ears, and eyelids. Plus, “if you have both a hat and sunglasses on, you won’t be squinting and making faces to avoid the sunlight, both of which can lead to those unwanted expression lines over time,” she adds. Suck it, eye cream!!!!

The extra extra-credit, however, shall be deposited specifically upon ScHoolboy Q (above), new FDA sun safety poster child, who spent a chunk of his time not only covered in a hat and sunglsases but also wearing the FDA’s recommended “clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun,” in the form of a jacket, pants, and socks with his sandals.

We still have approximately one more three-day weekend of Coachella content left and 66 days until summer even starts, so pin ScHoolboy somewhere and start stocking up on the four S’s: sunscreen, straw hats, sunglasses, and soft socks you can wear with sandals.

Don’t Forget to Wear a Big Straw Hat With Your SPF