The global decision to adopt mandatory-mask policies to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus sparked an explosion of mask-making, as many consumer-grade masks are now produced by a variety of fashion brands, small businesses, and do-it-yourself (DIY) methods(Stone, 2020). As the mask is adopted into everyday life, the simple cloth mask becomes incorporated into fashion. To understand this transformation and its impact this article discusses how commodification works to transform the cloth mask into the fashion mask, the potential dangers of masks produced by fast-fashion, and the powers that allow for this transformation to occur.
[Image Source: The National, 2020) A simple blackface mask is made fashionable through the use of floral appliqués]
What is fashionable changes across time and space, but it is always a means of signaling identity (Hansen, 2004). Particularly in Western societies fashion can be
used to convey one’s unique identity to others (Hansen, 2004).Western society is built on the prospect of
individualism where people define themselves through their uniqueness from others (Santos, Varnum, Grossmann,2017). Since masks hide much of our face,and therefore much of our individual identity, one possible reason for the emergence of fashion-masks is to reclaim our individuality (Friedman, 2020).Fashion-masks are made from different prints, patterns, and appliqués in a way that allows us to prominently wear our individuality. The fashion-mask is a commodity because it represents the transformation of the value of individuality into a sellable good (Grinnell College, n.d).
Unlike other fashion trends, the mask is meant to be a form of protective equipment. However, the contemporary framework of fashion, known as fast-fashion, does not lend itself well to producing high quality protective equipment. Fast-fashion emerged both from consumer desires for instant gratification and projected cost-savings for fashion corporations (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). To deliver a product in a short-time span while remaining cost-effective,clothing produced under fast-fashion is of low-quality (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010).Mandatory masking policies arose simultaneously with a global medical mask shortage; to fill that gap major fashion brands began producing and selling consumer-grade cloth masks (Friedman, 2020).When created with very specific guidelines (i.e. multiple layers of cotton and a non-woven fabric filter that fits snuggly to the face) cloth masks can be as efficacious as disposable medical ones (Health Canada, 2020;Strasser &Schlich, 2020). However the sudden emergence of fashion-masks to fill this gap suggests that fast-fashion is still the guiding framework of the production of consumer masks and quality is potentially being sacrificed (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010; Stone, 2020). Fashion retailers deploy the modern strategy of sense-respond and just-in-time delivery to quickly meet the demand for new unique styles while trying to remain profitable against growing competition.Under fast-fashion simple cloth masks transformed into the commodity of aesthetically pleasing fashion-masks (Spellings, 2020). While both consumer demand and the response of the fashion industry play a role in the emergence of the fashion-mask, consumers are more likely to suffer the consequences of low-quality protective equipment (Friedman, 2020). Masks do not guarantee absolute protection, but when wearing a mask, people gain a false sense of safety and ignore more efficacious protective strategies such as physical distancing (Yan, Bayham, Fenichel &Richter, 2020). Wearing a fashion-mask like any other mask could incite this false sense of safety, but it is more dangerous items produced under fast fashion are low-quality and provide even less protection (Strasser & Schlich, 2020). Low-quality fast fashion accessories may be an appropriate fashion industry standard, but low-quality personal protective equipment should not be as it endangers both the wearer and those around them.
[ (Vogue, 2020). Image depicting a silk luxury brand mask, marketed as a “fashion face mask”]
The fashion-mask is a product of the opportunity to commodify individuality, which is made possible by the predominant powers of the Westernized world. Capitalism and neoliberalism are the ideologies many Westernized countries’ pre-Covid societies are built upon.Both of these ideologies are frameworks for societies that are built on little government influence and for-profit privatization (Short, 2020). While governmental responses to the Covid-19 pandemic such as nationalfinancial aid, lockdowns, and mandates of masking seem to oppose neoliberal and capitalist traditions, the emergence of privatized for-profit fashion-masks show that these powers are still prominent forces in our response to the pandemic. The cost and construction of fashion-masks make it evident that they are a product of capitalism and neoliberalism frameworks. First, a lack of government regulation is the hallmark of a neoliberal society (Short, 2020). Although governments have provided guidelines on how a cloth mask should be constructed it does not seem as though there is any regulation ensuring masks are constructed as such. This creates the potential for a free market of cloth masks. This is problematic because the responsibility to source safe protective equipment (i.e. masks that follow Health Canada guidelines) is therefore placed on the consumer (Capps, 2020). The neoliberal free market compounded with a capitalist framework also leads to a lack of regulation on the price of fashion-masks. Masks for consumers are now produced in masses by major fashion corporations, with the benefit being that these corporations gain essential business status and can remain profitable (Stone, 2020). Luxury brands like Off-White, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, etc. have all gained essential business status by switching to producing essential masks, yet their products still come with a luxury price tag(Stone, 2020; Friedman, 2020). Privatizing an essential health object such as the mask is problematic because it perpetuates class differences and creates the potential for a situation where only those who can afford the protection of a mask receive it (Friedman, 2020).
In conclusion, the fashion-mask represents the commodified version of the cloth mask. Influenced by neoliberal and capitalist traditions mask fashion creates a context where costs of necessary protective equipment can be exploited and quality is not a guarantee. Finally, it is important to understand the implication of mass producing cloth masks under the fast fashion framework because it allows for commodification to be accelerated, and quality is always the last priority. Unlike other fashion trends, the mask is meant to be a form of collective protection against a novel virus. Thus, producing ineffective protective equipment is reckless because it incites a false sense of safety that endangers both the wearer and everyone around them.
References
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Grinnell College (n.d.) Subcultures and Sociology: Commodification.https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/commodification/
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