Ripples #98
The ‘Facekini’ Becomes a Big Hit
With Chinese Female Swimmers
Although “facekinis” aren’t a totally new sartorial innovation for ladies at China’s beaches and swimming pools — they’ve been around for the last five years, according to a recent article on travel.cnn.com — their popularity has soared of late.
Simply put, a facekini looks a lot like a ski mask (the type favored by burglars, serial killers and other assorted miscreants…oh…and skiers), but it’s made out of a material much more swim-friendly than hot, scratchy wool. Since facekinis are available in a myriad of colors, they are considered a fashion statement of sorts.
The main reason Chinese women have taken to this now-trendy garment is to avoid getting a tan — reportedly a much less prized look in Asia than in the West, to put it mildly. Proponents say the facekini also offers protection against mosquitos, jellyfish and predators of the human variety — such as men on the prowl who make unwelcome approaches to women.
One purveyor of facekinis even claims the head covering can help ward off nonhuman sharks: “Fingertip Melody 234 (指尖旋律234), one of Taobao’s facekini vendors, says bright orange masks can help drive away sharks ‘because they fear this color the most.'” No scientific proof of this claim is presented in the article, however.
Several interesting comments about the facekini are in the reader feedback section following the article. A sample:
[ ] “As an open-water swimmer/triathlete and skin cancer survivor, I get the appeal of sun protection and jellyfish sting prevention. They look funny, but if it keeps you healthy and safe doing an activity you love, then I understand the appeal.” [ ] “If I have a daughter, I know where I’m moving! Prob. cuts down the chance of boys coming around by a lot.” [ ] “Cheap way to cut down on plastic surgery costs.”Of course, the Internet being the Internet, there are more than a few less-than-kind comments:
[ ] “Vain morons.” [ ] “They look like Nacho Libre.” [Note: “Nacho Libre” was a 2006 comedy starring Jack Black. The commenter probably is referring to the masked lucha libre professional wrestlers of Mexico.] [ ] “I guess us Westerners just laugh cause they look so weird.” [ ] “I might go in public in a bathing suit again if I could be disguised as a horror movie character and no one knew whose cellulite they were looking at.” [ ] “They look like frikkin’ burn victims. Good god [sic]! What a stupid idea.”Ripples, always a proponent of “live and let live,” responds to that last comment: “If some people choose to look like burn victims at the beach or pool, that’s no one’s damn business but their own. Stick that in your nasty pipe and smoke it, troll!”
Having gotten that off his chest, Ripples feels much better.
Images: To see what facekini-wearing Chinese women look like, click here. Or click here for a slew of such photos. (Warning: Among the many facekini images are, inexplicably, a few shots of near-naked men — one of whom appears to be actor Sacha Baron Cohen wearing a very revealing green thong.)
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