[naturalman1975]

I collect English children's books and I am aware of their use of language, and yes, 'brown' was a common term used to describe suntan by authors such as Enid Blyton.

But Tolkien's useage is different. The whole Harfoot group of Hobbits was described by Tolkien as naturally brown skinned. The Fallohides were described as fair. This had nothing to with tanning - it was their natural colouration.

Before the crossing of the mountains the Hobbits had already become divided into three somewhat different breeds: Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides. The Harfoots were browner of skin, smaller, and shorter, and they were beardless and bootless; their hands and feet were neat and nimble; and they preferred highlands and hillsides. The Stoors were broader, heavier in build; their feet and hands were larger, and they preferred flat lands and riversides. The Fallohides were fairer of skin and also of hair, and they were taller and slimmer than the others; they were lovers of trees and of woodlands.

- JRR Tolkien - Prologue, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

[Redcloak]

One could thus argue, due to their preference for flatlands and riversides, that the Shire Hobbits were descended from the Stoors and not the darker Harfoots. Therefore this Jihadi...um... er... Actress doesn't fit the bill for a role as a Shire Hobbit.