For photographers documenting our changing Western ways, here’s how mask culture in Japan, Korea, and China serves as inspiration.
The pandemic has ushered in mask culture in countries where, a year ago, people likely didn’t even know where to buy one. COVID has changed how we collectively think of public health, and even with the first vaccines rolling out across the UK, Canada, and America, we predict face masks will stick around long after COVID subsides.
Mask culture may be new to Western countries, but in places like Japan, Korea, and China, it’s been around for decades. In those countries, people wear masks for reasons other than health.
For Shutterstock photographers looking to document our changing North American ways, here’s how mask culture in Japan, Korea, and China will serve as inspiration.
Mask Fashion
Masks are functional, but they’re also fashionable. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Asia where masks are a cool accessory and not just an afterthought. From plaid to stripes to leather to florals, fashionable masks everywhere are on the rise. And, while Western luxury brands have even adopted them (like those seen as part of Louis Vuitton’s 2021 cruise collection), they were sent down the runway in Asia years ago when some Chinese brands made a fashion statement with their “beautiful smog masks” as a way to combat pollution in a stylish way.
Streetwear
From shoes to sweats to bags to yes, masks, if it’s streetwear, it’s cool. In 2009, the Korean streetwear brand Sakun put out a black mask with printed white teeth marks that became all the rage amongst cool teens and ulzzangs (Korean influencers). According to one Korean writer reflecting on this trend, “The masks signaled that you were mysterious, trendy, and a little intimidating—everything a middle-schooler wanted to be.” Western streetwear brands are starting to catch up, but in 2021, we might just see our own versions of the Sakun mask.
Teenage Skin
There’s another reason why teens in Asia love masks: skin. Young, hormonal skin is tough on teenage self-esteem and masks help disguise the painful reality of changing bodies, especially when kids are feeling self-conscious. Bad skin is a rite of passage everywhere, so we can expect to see North American teens adopt the face mask for the same reason, realizing that wearing them benefits in more ways than one.
Celebrity Culture
The masked cowboy Orville Peck made wearing a fringed mask popular in Canada and the US, but in Asia, celebrities have long understood the benefits of hiding behind a mask for anonymity. K-pop (that’s Korean pop) fans are among the most adoring and devoted legions of fans, but when K-pop stars don a mask, hat, and sunglasses, it gets that much harder to spot them. For editorial photographers working in the celebrity space, you may just find that singers, actors, and stars everywhere start to do the same.
Cooking
Cooking by nature has to be hygienic, but pre-pandemic, if your server or cook was wearing a mask, you might have wondered why. Now, we understand that masks are both protection and prevention in public health, and wearing them is in service of cleanliness and safety. Expect to see mask culture continue in restaurants and cafes post-pandemic.
Allergy Season
Allergies are just one of the many reasons why people in Asia choose to wear a mask. And, if you’ve ever suffered through hay fever season, you get why. For allergy-sufferers, instead of popping another Benadryl or antihistamine, we might see masks as the first choice of defense instead.
Wildfire Season
In Canada and the US, we’re not yet wearing smog masks like those in China, but climate change in North American countries is causing significant effects on our health. Across California and the Northwest, we’ve seen unprecedented fires ravage states, unleashing their heavy, dense smoke on residents. If wildfire management continues to worsen—and it’s expected to—those beautiful smog masks on the runways of China might just make an appearance closer to home.
Beauty Routines
Women in Japan and Korea take their beauty seriously (ever heard of the ten-step Korean beauty routine?), but when they don’t have the time to properly powder their nose, they wear a mask instead. When it comes to images of post-pandemic mask culture, capture shots of masks as part of our everyday beauty routines.
Cover image via View Apart.
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