Face masks became a necessity for all due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many find it hard to breathe in them and generally hate the idea of wearing masks. Meanwhile many people welcomed the new accessory.
To Maria, face masks are a great tool to help people hide snarky comments made under their breath. “I can’t help heaping scornful comments on something which is intolerable to me. Facemasks help me keep both my comments and the situation under control.”
Fatima has her own reason to like the new normal.
“You can also stick your tongue out at someone and they will never know. Most of the facial expressions can also be concealed. This may be a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask. If you’re one to communicate with facial expressions more than words then you are at a loss. However, if you’re one who’s facial expressions have caused trouble for them many times then congratulations! You do not have to worry about that anymore.”
Ali, who is an introvert, decided to make it a permanent part of his everyday accessories along with sunglasses so that no one would be able to recognize him in public.
He says, “Before face masks became an integral part of SOPs, I was forced to make small talk with acquaintances I found at the market or elsewhere. Since I have started wearing a face mask people do not recognize me and I am spared from five painful minutes of small talk.”
Many like him have vowed to wear it in the post covid-era that we all are eagerly looking forward to. These solitude-loving beings have also found a new excuse to not get out of the car to buy something if they go with someone. They, very conveniently, say that we don’t have a mask therefore we cannot get out of the car. Mind you, they do this on purpose.
Some women have sighed a sigh of relief because they can easily go without makeup which saves them time and money. Some of the lazy ones skip their salon visits as the masks cover more than half of the face.
Ahsan Raza, a journalist and university teacher, says the arrival of facemasks has ended the era of daily shaving. “Well, I often just put on a mask and rush to the office without a proper early morning shave,” he says. Perhaps he was smiling behind the mask which could hardly be felt. “A facemask is to me what an abaya is to women. As abaya doesn’t need one to put on ironed clothes, a facemask spares people from a shave.”