Normalizing The Abnormal

The other day I was somewhere - maybe the grocery store or BJs - and a woman walked past me who was sporting a black face mask that was completely encrusted in rhinestones.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a website that was geared toward the wealthy and just for fun because I wanted to see how the other half lives, I clicked on their 'Shop Now' button which led me to the page where they were selling handmade face masks using antique French fabrics for "just" $75.

Face masks now come in every conceivable color and print and you can get them with graphics that allow you to plaster your favorite sports team or rock band or presidential candidate across your face.

None of this is normal to me and there is a snowball's chance in hell that I'm going to change my mind about that anytime soon.

Doesn't anyone remember when Michael Jackson used to wear one and no one understood why and thought he was weird because of it?

Understand, though, that I am not an anti-masker type. I get that we all have to wear masks now and I don mine wherever I am supposed to which does not include when I am driving by myself in my car, by the way.

That doesn't mean I like wearing masks.
That doesn't mean I want to make a fashion statement with them.
The only good thing about them other than protecting us from the plague is that I can talk to myself and no one will know.

...and the fogged up glasses are always fun, too.

But I don't want face masks to be normal.

Right now they seem to be the newest cottage industry as there's obviously money to be made from them which is an odd thing unto itself.

What if that doesn't end when (yes, when) we finally get the okay to stop wearing them? What if people actually like their masks and don't want to give them up? What if face masks are the new hot accessory, like sunglasses? Especially if they paid $75 for them? I mean, antique French fabric! Rhinestones! What are they going to do with them when the plague is over? Are they really just going to throw them away?  Maybe they're planning to tuck them in the back of their underwear drawer when this ends so that they're ready for whenever the next plague hits? When else would they wear them again?  Do they think it will never end? 

Call me crazy but making a fashion statement out of the thing we are being made to wear because there is an invisible thing out there that is very dangerous and has caused and is causing so much grief and devastation is just super weird.  I might be missing the point - that's always a very real possibility with me.  Are the fashionable masks a way of coping? In a time when there's so many reasons to be fearful, is it a bad thing to take the scary thing and make it less scary?  I'm torn.