i just got banned in /japan for asking this so i will try to ask here.I noticed that i rarely see people wearing black masks❗❗️🥷,they just wear white masks everywhere .I just wonder if there something they don’t like about black masks❓ like culture thing 🙅‍♂️ or they just like the white masks more❓🤔

6 comments

1. Probably just because the white medical ones are cheaper, and you can buy them in bulk. The black ones are made of cloth and usually only contain 3 or so in a package depending where you buy them; meaning you get less for more. If there’s any cultural significance, I’m unaware of it as an American.

2. I see black masks occasionally. Often women, to match their clothing to seems. Not a good choice in the summer.

3. Black masks are getting more popular. In pre-Covid days, black masks were almost exclusively available as a “fashion” mask, and people associated them a lot with K-pop stars. So if you wore a black mask maybe it seemed like you were trying to be fashionable or “cool”. So then people who don’t want to seem like they’re tryhard at fashion would avoid them. These days it’s much easier to find black masks around, but there may be still some association with them as a “fashion” color. White is considered the neutral color, and some offices say masks must be white as part of their dress code so that people don’t “stand out” for having an unusual mask color. I remember I bought some in maybe 2018 or so and wore them to work and everyone pointed out my mask because it was an unusual color. For me I don’t care, but maybe for many people even if it’s allowed as a color they don’t want to stand out. But for men especially grey and black masks are getting more and more popular for sure.

4. As many other things in Japan, it probably is because they don’t want to stand out. Contrary to individualist American society, the Japanese one values strength in groups, rather than individuals. As such, schools don’t let students stand out by having them wear uniform, short, dark hair (as well as straight), and companies enforce these kinds of rules as well. Because of this, things that are popular in Japan REALLY go viral, since it’s what everybody does and people around you expect you to do the same. It’s a rather homogeneous society.

   Why white over black? Probably just because it’s more neutral or whatever. I’d also think it’s because it looks cleaner, or purer, but that’s just my guess.

5. I am wondering whether it may just not be common to find proper FP2 masks in black there.

   I don’t know.

6. I have seen a Japanese celebrity in Japan wear black masks in most of his videos.