(Isn’t is unbelievable what people will do to stay out of the sun? This takes the cake. Insane.)
Recently the French have been in the news for banning, and then unbanning, burkinis (swimsuit that covers the whole body except for the face, hands and feet) on their beaches. The problem this summer has prompted a lot of debate but women in one part of China are curious about all the fuss.
Why? Because they have been wearing the “facekini” for several years. Especially in the city of Qingdao, a seaside city of 9 million people.
From the article:
“The skin-tight elasticated fabric masks cover a swimmer’s entire head and neck. Holes are cut for eyes, nostrils, mouth and, in some cases, pony tails. Most facekinis cover up the rest of the torso as well.”
“I’ve been using a facekini for nearly ten years,” says Wang Huimei, 58, a Qingdao local who goes to the beach almost everyday in summer. It’s way better than sunscreen lotion that wears off whenever I get inside the water. Plus, the water in this area tends to be cold, it’s comfortable to wear and it keeps me warm.”
Zhang Shifan, the self-proclaimed inventor of the facekini, has been selling them on Taobao (the Chinese equivalent of Amazon) since 2007, she even has a brick-and-mortar store. Her garment was originally designed to protect people from jelly fish bites, sun protection was only a secondary feature, but has now become the major appeal to her clients. Zhang says she’s sold more than 20,000 facekinis this summer, mostly to middle-aged women (her biggest client base) who adhere to traditional standards of beauty which value paler skin.
What do you all think? Would you wear a facekini?
Source: CNN
