Virus Diary: What To Wear

I'm no fashionista.  I make plenty of fashion faux pas, but I do have one fashion tip that I really think you should pay attention to.

Wear a mask...  Whenever you are in an area where they will be a group of people; wear a mask.

You might not think its fashionable; you would be wrong.  Check out my son when we attended the Rally for Justice.  

Don't ever tell me you can't be stylist AND safe, because clearly you can.  He looks like he stepped out of the early part of the last century; another time when masks were necessary to keep society safe. I know I'm biased, but this kid can pull the look off.  You could too.

One fashion note I'd like to point out in both photos is that the mouth AND the nose are covered.  This is important.  REALLY important.  If you thought the whole Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson nipple slip was scandalous; the covered mouth/nose out is not only bad fashion, but it also defeats the whole purpose of wearing a mask.  It's kind of like putting half a diaper on a baby boy; covering the penis is key so that you don't get sprayed with urine (and all moms of boys have been through this), but leaving the butt hanging out/uncovered so that poop can get everywhere.  Do you want to spray poop everywhere?  (So you're saying it's not poop that's coming out of my nose; at worst it's snot...how do you feel when someone gets their snot on you?)  Be safe and cover it up.  Cover is ALL up.

Masks do NOT prevent you from breathing.  If they did, medical professionals would not have been using them since the late 1800s.  While they may be uncomfortable, wearing an oxygen mask is more so.  And a ventilator? You DON'T want to have to wear that EVER!  Wear the mask.

Having said this, there ARE some people who actually cannot wear masks for medical reasons.  This is RARE...like winning the lottery rare.  If by some chance you are that person who for true medical reasons cannot wear a mask; I am sorry.  It sucks.  But if you can't wear a mask in a public place, then don't go.  Again I know that it sucks...I understand, but don't do it.  I have some serious food allergies.  They prevent me from going to certain food establishments.  It doesn't mean that I can go and just sit there with others and not eat; I cannot go at all because I have a reaction from just being in the space.  It stinks. But it's the way things are.  I don't ask a restaurant that specifically serves foods that would give me an allergic reaction to stop serving those foods so that I can go.  That doesn't make any sense.  So again, if for some true (and rare) medical reason you cannot wear a mask; I'm sorry, but if you are going to be in a public space where there are lots of people you need to wear a mask.

To be clear, you don't have to wear a mask everywhere all the time.  Sitting at home and watching tv:  no mask required.  Going to the park where there are people walking, sitting and just enjoying nature: mask required.  Sitting in your private backyard:  no mask required.  Walking into a grocery store: mask required.  Nutshell:  private no mask required; public:  MASK!  Any time you enter ANY place of business you should wear a mask. And when in doubt; where a mask.  It's better to err on the side of caution; after all the life you might save could be your own.

Be stylish.  Be cool.  Just DO it! Wear a mask.