How K-Pop Revived Black Sickness Masks In Japan

It’s flu and cold season. That means people in Japan are wearing sickness masks in public. Either they are ill or are trying to avoid a cold. The default is still the white sickness mask, but recently, black ones are becoming more popular among the country’s youth. https://kotaku.com/lets-talk-about-japan-and-sickness-masks-1740939773 This recent trend in Japan appears to be K-pop powered. During the past few years, when K-pop idols like boy band Shinee arrived in Japan, the popstars wore black sickness masks at the airport. (It’s unclear u31 เครดิตฟรี 31 บาท if Michael Jackson, who frequently traveled while wearing black sickness masks, was an inspiration.)cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"1832388054","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"kotaku-east","SECTION":"japan","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"japan","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); 黒マスクについてやってる pic.twitter.com/5XMSQMbbyE — はむたろ(3さい) (@svt_2001_0522) January 29, 2019 Black masks became popular because they could be a fashion accessory. White masks looked like something for patients or hospital staff. Other reasons for black masks’ popularity include that they make your face look smaller (a desirable trait in Japan and South Korea) than white ones do. Another reason is that some masks have charcoal filters and claim to better protect against airborne illnesses. Then there is the way black masks can suit certain outfits https://twitter.com/embed/status/1092335081639665664 The dark masks first started to catch on with K-pop fans in Japan as well as visual-kei types around 2014 and 2015 https://twitter.com/embed/status/429922361903546368 In Japan, the masks were promoted winner55 as being “all the rage” in South Korea https://twitter.com/embed/status/691542944197664769 They also seemed targeted at visual-kei and goth types 新宿アンチノックお疲れ様でした今年初ライブでしたね、遅い時間に出番でしたが、皆様観に来てくだすってありがたき幸せ。次は1/30渋谷サイクロンにて20:35〜21:05です。よろしくお願いします今日は怪しい黒マスク軍団でした。黒マスク pic.twitter.com/v4jjUIzNi9 — もっくん (@mokuniuka) January 24, 2019 Some Japanese pop stars, like Tsuyoshi from Kinki Kids, started wearing black masks, much to the delight of fans. Members of the Japanese boy band Kis-My-Ft2 also ditched their plain old white masks for the sleeker black ones. わたし黒マスクしてる人って基本苦手なのだけど剛さんの黒マスクって最高すぎる…！なんでこうも似合ってしまうのか…！剛さんって可愛いゆるいふわ〜な感じが多い中、たまに出す雄感の雄の部分が黒マスクによってより一層際立つからなのか…もう何言ってるかわからない#KinKiKids pic.twitter.com/04SkWrARMx — 堂本♡ひかり (@ki3kd51244) January 13, 2017 Now, black masks are slowly starting to reach a wider audience. Within the past few months, Japanese TV programs have introduced the trend. Josei Seven, one of Japan’s most popular and longest-running women’s magazine, recently did an article on the “black mask boom,” drawing a direct line to K-pop fashion. This is a change for the way black masks were seen しゃおるの皆様！！女性セブン最新号を是非ご覧くだしゃいに〜💎小さい写真だけど、ウリテミンちゃん🐥が黒マスクブーム？の記事で紹介されてますよーーー🌱 #SHINee #テミン #태민 #女性セブン pic.twitter.com/FZnl2Yobk6 — あんどりゅー (@bunchintaem_) January 26, 2019 During the past few decades, black sickness masks were considere unseemly. In Japan, the stereotype was the bikers and hoodlums wore black masks to cover their faces while raising hell. These masks weren’t for illnesses, but rabble-rousing うむ、なんだか黒いマスク？が、流行りらしいが、白以外のマスクは、、ヤンキー、不良なイメージそれしかない pic.twitter.com/UOZ1Reiagm — 横田守 mamoru yokota 半死半生 (@yokotamamoru) January 14, 2019 This could be why that until K-pop stars started wearing black masks, people in Japan mostly stuck to white masks. Korean pop stars helped soften the image black masks had in Japan. 黒マスク集団（怖くないよ、優しいよ） pic.twitter.com/mjwANVH2d4 — 竹内彩姫 (@saki_t48) January 30, 2019 Now, these masks for fashionable Japanese youth, who are now wearing black masks to coordinate their outfits 黒ますく♥ 黒マスク持ってるはいいけど全然使わない。。 pic.twitter.com/JU1BfVQvDd — 早川渚紗 (@nagisa_hayakawa) January 30, 2019 While the black mask boom might be a relatively recent, originally, masks in Japan were black 黒マスクをしてる人が最近少しずつ増えていて、K-Popの影響とかヤンキーに見えるとか色々言われてるけど、元々日本で普及したマスクは黒マスクだったらしい。 pic.twitter.com/gKEdHosUvy — 岩ノ城 (@JojiSensei) January 26, 2019 For example, here is a pre-World War II “Banzai” branded black mask. This is not the oldest one なんかどっかの国の影響で黒いマスクが認知されだしてるけど、衛生的な感じが微塵もしないんでどうかとは思う。けど、昔のバンザイマスクみたいなのが流行り出したら着けるかもしれないｗ pic.twitter.com/5gHiCT4tlV — psy (@psytou) January 29, 2019 In 1879, a black mask was released in Japan and its packaging featured the curious English language ww winner55 brand name “Respiraltll.” https://twitter.com/embed/status/1092302432204451840 Black masks might not be new to Japan, but thanks to the influence of Korean pop culture, they have definitely become more visible in youth areas like Tokyo’s Shibuya and Osaka’s Amemura as well as in online illustrations. https://twitter.com/embed/status/1089558168634441728 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1092046508772319232 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1089554575923720192 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082795600473554944 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1015124737930870784 https://twitter.com/embed/status/978650104897814529 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1077413062850703361 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1076260994685358081