The Plus Size Guide to Facemasks
Posted by Jen Anderson on
Facemasks are here to stay for a while. The whole point of wearing one is to make it safer to leave the house - and when you put time and attention into putting together an outfit, you want your facemask to be part of the ensemble. Besides, as long as well have to mask up, we might as well have a little fun with it.
Plus Size Facemasks?
Yep. Some of the standard designs don't cover our adorable faces adequately. To fit properly, your mask needs to cover your nose and chin. With pleated masks like the ones we make, you need to pull open the pleats to expand them to their full height.
You also want the sides of the mask to fit without leaving gaps. A plus size mask will cover more of your cheeks than the standard sized masks.
How can we coordinate our masks with the rest of an outfit?
Treat facemasks like an accessory. Black goes with everything, of course. With colors and patterns, consider whether or not you'd wear a jacket in that fabric with your outfit.
Speaking of accessories - dangly earrings don't pair well with face masks. Stick with small earrings for now. If you're wearing an eye-catching mask, go with a subtle necklace so they don't fight visually with each other.
Are cute masks effective?
Pretty cloth facemasks are adequate for the needs of non-medical professionals. They're meant to keep you from sharing your germs, as well as keeping you from breathing in anyone else's germs. The CDC recommends the combination of staying 6 feet away from people you don't live with, keeping your socializing outdoors, and wearing masks. Ask your doctor if you have questions about specific masks.
If you've been exposed to the virus, tested positive, or really, really want to not catch this thing, you can wear a disposable surgical mask under your cute mask for extra protection.
What about comfort?
There are doodads called Face Mask Inner Support Frames that will keep your facemask from touching your mouth and nose. If you wear masks frequently enough that the backs of our ears get sore, there are many styles of Sore Ear Savers - something that rests on the back of your head so you can attach your mask to it instead of your ears. And yes, some styles come in colors so you can match them to your outfit.
There are also gadgets and tricks to keep your eyeglasses from fogging up while wearing a mask.
Speaking of mask accessories, some people have been clipping lanyards to their masks so they can take off the mask and rest the mask on their chest. It sounds really cute, but it's unsanitary even if you don't end up spilling food on your chest/mask. Others hang their mask off of their wrists while eating, which just seems to me like a mishap waiting to happen.
If you're going to be eating while out, take along a small paper bag or plastic ziptop bag to keep your mask clean while it's off. Only touch the elastics when taking it off and putting it back on. Consider bringing along a spare mask if there's a chance your mask will get all sweaty.
This is...
A lot. I know. Fashion is supposed to be fun, and global pandemics are serious. I figure that wearing stylish facemasks makes it easier to comply with CDC recommendations, so that's got to be a good thing.