The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

pineapple

MingVase said:

But moslem ladies wear them and always have... they don't look unnatural to me pineapple xx Maybe we just need to use more eye makeup

'Fraid we will have to agree to disagree. I don't like that any more than the custom in some Asian countries and hell will freeze over before I would adopt one on a permanent basis - though hopefully it would never come to that. Maybe it's just as well that I am nearing the end of my shelf life

Wednesday2000

It is strange going into a shop and talking to the person behind the counter as they can't tell if you are smiling with a mask on. I still smile out of habit  but it seems increasingly pointless.

pineapple

annieb64 said:

It does feel strange going round the shops with a mask. You can't  tell if people are smiling and because my glasses tend to steam up I just want to get the whole experience  over as soon as possible.

I've got an image in my head now of masked up pervy men roaming around with steamed up glasses. Not that I am suggesting you are a pervy man, she said hastily.

GreyQueen

Until quite recently I could still just about ride my bicycle, slowly and on level ground only. I've been wearing masks in public inc when cycling for months. I quickly realised thatt the habit of acknowledging another person with a smile had to be changed for a very distinct nod or even a wave.

I was thinking today that mask wearing has some things in common with bra wearing; uncomfortable a lot of the time, done to comply with societal norms, taken off asap you get home.........

annieb64

Not a man and I hope not pervy. 

[Deleted User]

I'll wear whatever keeps me and other people safe but I'll avoid the need to do so like the plague unless I cannot avoid having to go into a shop.  I want to stay healthy.

boultdj

The extra war paint for the eyes is all well and good Mar, but some of us is allergic to the stuff, so if you see me out I'll be the one with the natural black bags under the eyes, that is when they aren't steaming up...……….bump...…..what have I walked into this time!?………..

MingVase

Boult I have the same prob, between the steaming up and the scratches on the lenses that I never got round to changing yet...

VJsmum

I think most people's smiles get to their eyes... 

I hope it does become a cultural norm to help stop the spread of other nasties - common cold, ordinary flu, norovirus.  In east Asia it is perfectly normal for people to wear a mask - working in Singapore one time i steadfastly refused during a time of intense pollution (due to burning the palm oil plantations in Indonesia, i believe) - came home with a severe chest infection...

I have friends who are refusing because "they don't like them" - personally i think that's rather arrogant of them..

euronorris

I don't find them dehumanising. Odd, and inconvenient, but that's all. I don't think they will become the cultural norm long term, just for now.

But I think the comparison to a handmaid's tale is a bit of a stretch. We've all been asked to wear them, male and female, rich and poor. They are not being used to silence child bearing women.