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If you’ve traveled to the Middle East during beach season you may have become familiar with the “burqini”, a full-body dressing that allows Muslim woman to enjoy beach culture. Now prepare yourself for the facekini. Invented in China about seven years ago, it is the summer equivalent of a balaklava winter mask, but not as scary.
Swimmers in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao love the facekini because it has several functions, namely sun and suntan protection. As pure white skin is viewed as beautiful in Chinese culture, the mask provides a breathable, waterproof solution for avid swimmers to maintain their white skin. It is also said to protect swimmers from jellyfish stings and possibly shark attacks.
If I was a shark, I’d probably be freaked out by the masks too. More on the Chinese swimming fashion trend can be seen at CNNGO.com