MASKS & MASQUES

It wasn't long ago that one was not allowed to wear any form of face-covering or helmet when entering a bank. My, how times have changed. Nowadays, one can be arrested for NOT wearing one.

I was at a job interview this morning and the only parts of my face showing to the interviewers were my eyes, so I made sure I had applied my eye-makeup meticulously as the success or failure of my interview would depend on whether my eyes were pleasing or not. A little also depended on what I had to say, of course, but they couldn't ascertain whether I was happy or sad or anxious because they couldn't see my facial expressions. They also couldn't tell if I had big buck teeth or an ugly scar on my cheek that could preclude me from being the face of the company in my receptionist role.

It's such a shame that children have to also wear masks at school as my grandchildren are required to do in Japan. Learning facial expressions is a big part of socialising and they are missing out on this crucial nuance. Hard of hearing children or adults would also have difficulty with lip-reading unless they could see the mouth. See-through masks should be used far more than they are now, especially in school and work environments where communication is critical.

Whilst I do acknowledge that the wearing of masks can be beneficial to some extent, I'm not a great fan of the double-layer cotton face mask as it mucks up the hair and lipstick and makes me sweat behind it.(No need to apply a cosmetic 'masque' these days either as no-one can tell whether your skin is flawless and blackhead free, anyway). Not only does the mask fog up my glasses but it keeps slipping down and I am forever adjusting it. Haven't tried the plastic face shield, but on the surface it looks preferable as it doesn't touch the face.

Let's hope designers put their thinking caps on and come up with a design that can protect us, allow our personalities to show, enhance our appearance and coordinate with our clothes, and allow us to communicate properly. Unfortunately, I think masks are here to stay!