The Graduation Speech More Powerful Than SPF 50
The Story Behind "Wear Sunscreen"
A couple of Saturdays ago, I saw something in London I hadn’t seen in a long, long time…
The sun!
I was so pleased for a bit of Vitamin D that I grabbed my book and sat outside, absorbed in the story and unaware of how much time was passing.
Later that night, I looked in the mirror and saw something like this:
In my excitement to see the sun, I had forgotten the great advice that was shared with the world 20+ years ago:
“Wear Sunscreen.”
And I’m not talking about advice from a doctor —“Wear Sunscreen” was the take away of a graduation speech.
Or so I thought…
What’s the story behind that speech—and who wrote it?
I was curious…
The ‘Wear Sunscreen’ speech has been credited to both author Kurt Vonnegut and director Baz Luhrmann.
Excerpts of it have also been attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt.
But none of them wrote it.
‘Wear Sunscreen’ was written by Mary Schmich, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
And it’s not really a speech at all — well, not one that was given formally to a class of graduating students.
Schmich, who worked for the Tribune from 1985 until 2021, penned the speech for a newspaper column in 1997, saying that:
“Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading.”
In the early days of the internet, Mary’s speech became a viral email.
Except her words were falsely attributed to Kurt Vonnegut, and a speech he gave at MIT’s commencement ceremony.
Even Vonnegut’s wife believed her husband had given the speech, and congratulated him for his wise words.
But Vonnegut was never MIT’s commencement speaker, and the words were all Mary’s, even if the style felt like it could have been written by the author of Slaughterhouse-Five.
Film director Baz Luhrmann was credited for the speech after he took the words and put them to music.
The song ‘Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)’ contains Mary’s advice, and was popular from the US to Europe.
But despite all the confusion over the credit, Mary’s been a good sport for decades.
“It has never for a minute bothered me that people think Kurt Vonnegut wrote it,” she said.
“It’s never bothered me that people think Baz Luhrmann wrote it, because he’s never claimed he did.
“He gave it a life that I never could’ve dreamed of.”
Mary’s words have stayed in my mind since I read them in 1997 (even if I briefly forgot her valuable advice a few weeks ago).
I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.
Here they are:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
One more thing…
Mary was even a clue on Jeopardy! in 2019.
OK, two more things…
In a recent profile by Rolling Stone, comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus was asked what advice she would give young women who are breaking into comedy.
Her response:
“Wear sunscreen.”
Something to ponder…
Well said, Candace.
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Until next time, Stay Curious!
-Beth
Oooh Beth, you’ve left me feeling all nostalgic and a little teary with today’s story. To think I was one of those young people when this went viral 😭
I remember this one well! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I think the faux speech held up admirably.