Fashion Face: Masks A Brief History

By PeterLogan

Are you looking for fashion face masks? Well, yes. The world is united symbolically and visually by wearing face masks, regardless of whether or not they work. Masks are not a good way to prevent the spread of the virus, but they can be used as a prophylactic measure. Austria, Israel, and the Czech Republic have all instructed citizens to cover up their faces when they are outside.

Against the Virus

It works. Covid-19 is a threat that has eclipsed public mask-wearing. Protective masks are now not only important cultural elements but also key components of our cultural landscape. It’s no longer strange to see people wearing masks as they go about their daily lives, such as when they shop in town for groceries. It feels normal, almost like the latest fashion.

The “New Normal” Face masks were created to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Fashion must be embedded into these masks as they become part of one’s appearance, reflecting one’s personality and outlook on the world. Men are often seen jogging along my daily walk. Stretchy masks look almost like they were made of the same performance materials that their jackets and shorts. These masks have a matching feel.

There are also many people sporting retro and fun fashion face masks. These masks were probably made from the many old clothes they had lying around. My Instagram feed is filled with people sporting every kind of fashion face mask.

Fashion Face Masks for Everyone

Masks can be made from anything, including repurposed designer handbags and raincoats. Everything feels new to younger generations who have experienced the Covid-19. For older generations, however, the idea of wearing face masks to look and stay safe is not new.

Valerie Steele is the chief curator of The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology. She says that people have used fashion masks throughout history to communicate a message to others.

Doctors wore long, pointed, beak-like extensions to their noses in the 1600s. Because people believed the plague could be transmitted by foul smells, these fashion masks were filled with incense.

Steele states that they did not work functionally. They were, however, frightening to look at message-wise. These fashion masks were an expression of the horrors the world was experiencing.

Fashion Face Masks in History

When scientists discovered germs in dust particles, wealthy Parisian women wore lace veil veils in the 19th century. These masks were meant to protect them against particles that circulated on busy streets.

Fashion face masks were also worn during cholera epidemics. Many Americans wore masks in 1918 when the Spanish flu pandemic occurred.

They were created to protect soldiers about to go on the front lines. Many soldiers wore them to show their patriotism and not to stop the spread of the disease. Some cultures are more open than others to the idea of wearing face masks.