While China is affected by high temperatures above 40 °C, the Chinese adopt the Facekini. The colored balaclava, which completely covers the head and has holes for the eyes and mouth, is mainly worn on the beach to protect against the sun.
After the bikini, the two-piece bathing suit for women that first hit the market in July 1946, here comes the facekini. This is the new trend method of protecting the face from the sun, already widely used by the Chinese to cope with intense heat. This sun hood offers full head protection, with holes for eyes and mouth. And for the Chinese, it is important to keep the skin as fair as possible, a symbol of success and beauty.
Two to three times more pieces were bought this year
This sunshade, which arrived on China’s beaches in 2015, commemorates 20 Minutes and lands on the streets of major Chinese cities, journalist Yena Lee told France Inter from Beijing. “Compared to the situation before the pandemic, this year is much better than the previous ones. “Sales volume has increased significantly this year,” a Facekini store clerk confirmed to Portal. Local brands such as Bananain, Beneunder or OhSunny are posting the best sales, reports Le Parisien.
China broke a mid-July heat record of 52.2°C in the arid region of Xinjiang (west) on Sunday, July 16.
However, the facekini trend may not have the same success in France, where, according to Ouest-France, “it is forbidden to hide or completely cover the face in a public place,” recalls Service-public.fr.