Chou Style: The Masked Man Cometh

This is one of his better-looking masked photos. 

At least, he's not wearing sunglasses and his hood is not up. 

His eclectic choice of alphabet and floral prints would look out of place on anyone else but he carries it off with coolness.

And handsome as ever. 

However, I'm not here to discuss his clothes but rather the face mask which he is frequently seen wearing, usually at airports in China and more recently, when he casually went grocery shopping with Hannah.

Another pic of him working out in the gym with Hulk and all togged up in mask, cap and hoodie led one of my JCDs to ask why he would dress like that even in the gym.


When I first became his fan, I did find it rather strange but over time and discussions with other fans, it began to appear a rather natural thing for him to do for two reasons.


1. Health

It may appear weird to Westerners and other societies who do not do this but wearing a mask when out and about is quite a normal practice in many Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, China, Hongkong, Korea and also Vietnam. As such, Jay does not really look out of place when he does the same.

In cities like those in China and Vietnam, the air pollution can be very bad and the mask is a form of barrier against breathing in all the smog.
It is also a matter of courtesy and consideration for others to wear a mask when one is unwell, especially if coughing and sneezing so as to prevent the spread of germs as much as possible.
From what I know, Jay tends to catch a cold easily and it is understandable that he wears the mask to prevent himself from getting too exposed to germs and air pollution.
After all, he has to maintain his health as best as he can because of the demands of his hectic work schedule and concerts.

It is also a fact that he has ankylosing spondylitis which can flare up unpredictably and affect his well-being.
It thus makes sense that he would not want to aggravate matters by falling sick as well.


2. Privacy

Face it (pun intended):

The mask covers half the face with only the eyes exposed.
As such, the lips can be hidden and some measure of privacy preserved in public whether one is smiling or not.
Especially in China, where there are usually hordes of fans trying to get close to him, I feel the mask allows him to maintain some composure as he walks through the crowd.

It's notable, however, that when he comes to Singapore and Malaysia, he does not mask up. :)


I think his fans are all used to this and take it for granted already.

Plus we are pampered with so many beautiful pics of him everywhere sans mask that we should not complain about this minor issue. :)

Beautiful pics like these:

Go ahead....swoon on!
He's gorgeous!

If you guys have any other comments about Jay and his mask, feel free to share your thoughts below or on the Jay Chou Diaoness Facebook Page.

Cheers!