Wearing masks can easily be considered one of the most inconvenient, uncomfortable, and downright annoying parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing general irritation among those who have become fed up with the breathing difficulties, foggy glasses, and forgetting to bring one everywhere. However, as time has gone by, more and more people have begun buying custom face masks, made for comfort and personalization. Now the question must be asked: will face masks become a permanent trend even after the COVID-19 crisis has subsided?
With the inauguration still fresh and a new president in office, many Americans have been eagerly waiting to hear about President Biden’s plan regarding face masks. As expected, on January 21st of this year, Biden signed an order mandating masks on airplanes, trains, and intercity buses directly after his first executive order as president, which requires masks on federal property. According to The Washington Post, “Together, the two orders come as close to a national mask mandate as his federal powers may allow, leaving it to states and municipalities to require residents to wear masks at a local level.” While Biden claims that a national mask mandate remains common sense, not everyone agrees. The growing political unrest regarding wearing face masks has led to many people speaking out about their unhappiness regarding this decision.
Republicans began to voice their dissent immediately. “The Biden administration is already headed in the wrong direction,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said in response to President Biden’s mandate. “Continued federal overreach won’t end the Covid-19 pandemic or put food on the table.” And yet, experts stress the importance of wearing masks everywhere. “It is, in some ways, our best medical tool,” said Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. “It can save hundreds of thousands of lives without the need for surgery, drugs, no side effects...” Still, despite the political disagreements about wearing face masks, it may be time to start wondering whether or not they will go away after this nightmare has finally ended.
Those who have not left the country may be unaware of how in Asia, wearing face masks has been a common occurrence for decades. According to VOA News, “Asians, especially in Japan, China, and Taiwan, have worn masks for a host of cultural and environmental reasons, including non-medical ones, since at least the 1950s.” Thought of as a civic duty, putting on a face mask in those countries tends to be as routine as putting on shoes. Yet, for Americans, individualism has been seen as an obstacle to more mask-wearing in the US. Edward Vargas of Brookings writes, “The number one reason given by Americans who are not wearing a mask is that it is their right as an American to not have to do so. This is an important finding that suggests the core principle of individualism in American culture is leading to significant health consequences across the country.”
There can be pros to wearing masks constantly, one being the safety from diseases and illnesses for others. The CDC states, “Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.” Recently, the CDC has begun to recommend that people wear surgical or medically-approved masks, as cloth masks have been shown to be less effective against newer, more dangerous strains of COVID-19. By wearing masks even after the COVID-19 outbreak ends, whenever that may be, face masks can be useful in preventing the spread of other diseases as well, such as the flu, which would be a positive reason to continue using them.
Another benefit can be seen by looking at the personalization of masks over the last few months. Mask customization has come a long way since the surgical disposable masks, which most people used only when they had to. More stores have started selling custom, comfortable, even stylish masks with filters and colors. Wearing a custom mask can now be a way of expressing one’s individuality and interests, and can even be a conversation starter when someone receives a compliment on their pattern choice.
Considering the growing popularity of personal face masks, it may not be too much of a reach to assume that many people may not want to give up their masks. By looking at other countries, specifically in Asia, one can see how much of a trend face masks have become, which leads more and more people to wonder…will America be next?
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