Fashion face masks? Well, yes. Whether face masks work or not, having the world wearing them brings us together symbolically, visually, all against the disease. While for the general public, masks are less a reliable prophylactic against the virus. So far, Austria, Czech Republic, and Israel have instructed citizens to cover their faces while outside their homes.
Granted, face masks are designed as a practical way to stop the spread of Covid-19. But, as these masks become part of one’s look, reflecting one’s personality and outlook on life, fashion must be embedded in them. In my daily walks, I see men jogging by. Some are wearing stretchy masks that look like were made from the same performance materials as their shorts and jackets. There’s a matching sense about those masks.
Then, there are several people wearing fashion face masks in fun and retro patterns. Arguably, cut from the many discarded outfits they found in the recesses of their closets. Also, my Instagram feed is flooded by people wearing fashion face masks of any imaginable kinds.
There are masks made of everything; from repurposed designer handbags to aprons and raincoats. To younger generations experiencing the Covid-19, everything feels so new. But, to the older ones, wearing face masks to stay safe and look good is nothing new.
According to Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology: “People have used fashion face masks throughout history, to send a symbolic message to those around them.”
In the 1600s, doctors wore face masks with long, pointed beak-like extensions at the nose. Since people believed that the plague was transmitted through foul smells, those fashion masks were stuffed with incense.
“Function wise, they didn’t work,” Steele says. “But, message wise, they were terrifying to look at. These fashion face masks were a clear expression of the horrors that the world was experiencing.”
In the 19th century, when scientists discovered germs on dust particles, wealthy women in Paris wore lace veils. The role of those masks was to protect them from particles circulating on the busy streets.
Then again, fashion face masks were worn during the cholera outbreaks. In 1918, when the Spanish flu pandemic coincided with World War I, many Americans wore masks.
Created to protect soldiers who were about to enter the battlefield, many soldiers wore them as a symbol of their patriotism, not just to curb the spread of the disease. But, some cultures are more open to fashion face masks than others.
For example, there’s always been some cultural resistance to wearing masks in the United States. On the other hand, it has been a common practice for people in Asia to wear masks for decades. Partly because the region has been harder hit by recent pandemics, including SARS in 2003, as well as rising rates of air pollution. In these countries, masks are more than a form of protection, but a way of self-expression.