Throughout the ages woman have done some insane things to stay beautiful. Cleopatra crushed up some ants, then added in beetle blood and beeswax to make her lips rosy red. The Greeks used to bathe in crocodile excrement with the idea that it slowed the aging process. And during the Renaissance, women burned off unwanted hair with harsh abrasives like quicklime and arsenic. So basically, the face-kini isn’t that crazy, in fact, it might even be smart.
What’s the face-kini you ask? It’s a full head mask with openings for the eyes and mouth that protects the skin from the damaging rays of UV sun exposure and has become the latest rage in China. Unlike in the West where bronze is beautiful, the women of the Shandong province of east China consider pale skin perfection—that is because traditionally in China, a tan signifies physical labor whereas pale skin implies status.
This bathing suit for the face (if you will) completely blocks out the sun so wearers need not worry about getting brown or sunspots or sun damage for that matter. Or you could skip the sun and get a successful sunless tan. What do you think? Is the face-kini smart or silly?
