‘Thanks to face masks, I see less ugly people,” I quipped to my wife recently. She just scoffed at my facetiousness. Seriously though, as the country fumbles its way towards full reopening, it looks like the face mask will now be part of our future.
Before the pandemic, persons wearing masks in public were a curiosity. Only a criminal would be caught wearing one in broad daylight. Now face masks are everywhere, a must attire for everyone. Masked doctors and dentists treat masked patients and clients. In restaurants, waiters take your orders behind masks. Barbers and hairstylists in masks serve masked clients. Customers browsing a clothing store or bookshop wear masks. Legislators are seen wearing masks during sessions.
Face masks have a vital function: to protect others from our germs, and to protect ourselves from the germs of other people. Self-preservation, coupled with respect and consideration for others.
On the lighter side, I can see other uses. A mask can hide our faces from people we are avoiding or hiding from. The larger the mask, the more facial surface it covers. Donning dark glasses plus a face shield on top of the face mask makes the “camouflage” even better. One can even blithely pass by and pretend not to recognize a creditor if you happen to meet him on the street, hoping he won’t spot you too. People who are shy and introverted can now go out without being pressured to socialize. Face-to-face conversations tend to be short because one can’t talk well wearing a mask.
A face mask gives women some sort of a break because they don’t have to put on makeup or lipstick before going out. They can be useful in warding off unwanted advances, too. A woman can always pointedly put on her mask to douse cold water on a male admirer’s rush of amorous feelings.
Frankly, don’t you think many people look better with face masks? For one, it hides the blotches and blemishes on our faces. It also masks the terrible state of one’s dentures. Not to mention horrible bad breath.
The basic face mask is utilitarian, plain and generic. Wearing them is considered the “great equalizer.” People, however, are by nature restlessly creative. This is why more and more Pinoys are wearing masks with ingenious designs, thanks to the resourceful local producers who have hijacked them from the social media.
There are goth masks mimicking skeletal jaws or Hannibal Lecter mouths, Edvard Munch-like open-mouthed screams, image of an oversized mouth and animal faces. I saw one face mask with a see-through lower part so one can still see the mouth of the wearer. Mostly, they’re a reflection of the Pinoy’s fun-loving, childish nature. In Japan, I read about masks with chains hanging from them, masks that glow in the dark, and silly masks that leave a hole for the mouth.
But a mask can be used to convey a statement too. On social media, I saw a mask with a hand covering the mouth, as a statement against repression. Young demonstrators in Thailand and students in Hong Kong wear yellow colored masks as a symbol of their protest. In America, I’ve watched news reports showing anti-capitalist protesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks and antifa activists hiding behind gas masks and bandannas. More recently, face masks have symbolized the dangers of climate change.
If only our government communicators were more creative, they could have used the mask to flash witty messages about social distancing and health protocols, such as “Distancia pa more, amigo,” “Legal ang separation sa amin, ” or “Galit-galit muna.” “Uso ang hiwalayan”; “Huwag mag-impok para di matepok” or similar catchy lines.
However, for non-political individuals who can’t stand the bland and the generic, a mask can be another form of personal expression: a statement of style. They want masks that are more pleasing to the eye.
The fashion industry in Europe has seen this burgeoning demand for face masks that are not only effective but also fashionable. As a fashion designer explains: “Why don’t we bring a little bit of normalcy to our lives and express ourselves. Why not treat this like a high-end garment.”
The message is: while we stand in solidarity with the community against the virus, we don’t like to look like everybody else. We want to remain individuals, too.
There may be something good in it, too, because the more stylish, and the more artfully designed the masks become, the more willing people will be to put them on, especially in countries where wearing face masks is seen as an infringement of their rights.
Now the face mask is becoming the new promotional t-shirt, a walking miniature billboard for brand logos and slogans. Disney is now offering masks featuring its signature characters. Just a month ago, authorities raided a retail shop in Divisoria peddling masks with fake logos of signature brands like LV.
Even the newly imposed face shield is getting a “face-lift” so to speak. My attention got caught by a photo of a sleek-looking face shield inspired probably by an astronomer’s space age helmet.
What’s next in the art of maskerade? Why not masks in various mild scents for people who can’t stand smelling their foul breath behind the mask?
Maybe it’s our human way of keeping fear and anxiety away or coming to terms with the epidemic. But in the blink of an eye, people are happy to be “lost in this maskerade,” a new game to play, transforming what began as a life-saving covering into a commercialized medium or a form of stylish expression.
As someone puts it: “They’re obviously functional, but I think they can be uplifting.”
Somewhere a painter must be looking at the mask as a tempting canvas for creating an artistic piece.