Let’s have some humour in our discontent with this new norm in our lives. It has been over one year and a half already, since we started wearing face coverings as a preventative and protective measure from contracting or spreading a virus that has proved to be deadly. Although there were controversies and probably still are, we might just be surprised one day, when we learn that in our discomfort and inconvenience with these masks, we saved many lives.

Although every time you had to put on your mask to go to work or to go grocery shopping or anything essential you had to do, you were probably cursing and complaining. Frankly I can’t blame anyone for being fed up of these masks.

In wanting to make this a light subject, I’ve complied a few reasons to laugh at our strange experiences. Some are funnier than others. Mostly, they are annoying things. But let’s laugh at it anyways.

Face mask problems:

1 For those who wear eye-glasses. You put on your mask and you struggle to keep it tucked in under your bridge. If you put it too low, it will pop out. If you push it higher, it will poke you in your eyelid. There isn’t a very comfortable position for people with glasses. You try on different masks until you find one that kinda works. Then you have to wash it. Lord help you. You better get a few of those.

2 Another major problem for eye-glasses, the FOGGING. I write that in caps because it’s a biiiiiig problem. You try all the tricks they suggest online, none of them work. You enter inside a place, that’s it, you can’t see nothing. You remove your glasses, if you are like me, you still see nothing. You wonder which one is better, to be completely blind or find a way to see through the foggy glasses and maybe manage not to trip on the table of tomatoes in the middle isle. So you learn to hold your breath from time to time. The less you breathe, the less your glasses fog up. True story.

3 Do you remember when we first had to put on a mask? How many people figured it out by themselves to put it on the right way? The better question to ask how many people knew that this hard string piece in the middle on only one side of the mask is for a purpose. And that’s to be bent to take the shape of your nose so it stays on flush with your cheeks and helps with a more comfortable fit. How many people were wearing their mask upside down? I wonder.

4 Not only that we had a problem with keeping the mask on properly covering above the nostrils, but it also has to cover your mouth and preferably all the way to your chin. And some went as far as making masks that cover your whole cheeks. Now, as you see, face masks are a fashion statement. Let’s see how long it will feel that way.

5 Then there are those strings around the ears that feel like your ears are getting a blood test. People have different faces, from wide to narrow, long, round, etc. Therefore, a universal shape and size mask will not fit all and most definitely will not be comfortable. That’s when the creative juices started to flow and you found people making masks that tie around the back of the head or adjustable string around the ears and so much more ideas.

6 But first, before the creativity and production of a variety of mask lines and brands hit the market, there was a severe shortage of medical face masks. The general public couldn’t get their hands on any at some point. Then there were those greedy, no conscious people who used this as a way to make quick money and bought as much as they could in the market so they can sell it with a ridiculous mark up. Knowing that people are desperate and will pay any amount for those masks. Terrible. Terrible human beings.

7 Even after production increased and masks became available, stores were selling it at double or triple the price. And now, go check the prices. How much did you pay for your first box of masks versus what’s in store now? You do the math. Some people, and that’s good for them, used their talent and skills, started making face masks and made a business out of it. And they were reasonably priced, I must say. Especially if they were custom-made masks with your choice of material, colour, size, and type of strap. It’s worth paying extra for. That’s your comfort you are investing in now.

8 On to more humorous moments with face masks. Has it happened to you, when you enter a grocery store and suddenly the dedicated associate at the door with the hand sanitizer looks at you funny and says: “mask please”. You stop and you feel you just committed a crime. Then you hit your head and say: “sorry”.  You remember you left your mask in the car and now you have to go back to get it and maybe by time you come back to the door, there is a line and now you have to wait.

9 Speaking of leaving masks in cars. Have you noticed the new trend? Masks hanging from the visor of cars has become the new norm. It’s a decorative item now. Wear it then hang it, then forget to throw it. Wear a new one, then hang that too. You have a collection now. Even better, hang your mask and your partners mask and your child’s mask around the shift stick. All masks hanging on the sides. Every time you shift gears, the string gets stuck.

10 How about when you just take out a disposable mask out of the box, as you put it on, the strap tears. Lol.

11 You want to hear a nasty face mask problem. Here is one some or most of you have experienced. Have you gone to eat out in a restaurant, then when you leave, you put your mask on, and as you are walking back to your car, you burp! Lord have mercy on you. That’s when you remember you have a mask on. That’s when you also say: “what did I eat today?” With a disgusted look on your face that luckily no one can see because your mask is hiding it.

12 Speaking of being in a restaurant, how annoying is it that you have to put your mask on every time you go to the toilet. And what do you do? Do you take it off and hold it in your hands and risk it touching something and then put it back on your face? What if you don’t have pockets? I guess sometimes it’s better to keep it on as you do your business and get out as fast as you can.

13 Last but not least of our face mask problems, ladies this is for you. Now that we started to put make up on again (not like the old days of washing face and put on mask and go), that mask will get discoloured from the first wear. You need to wash it more often now. If you are using disposable ones, you will go through a box much quicker. Other option, ignore the make-up smudged in the mask until you no longer can.

There are probably even funnier stories with face masks. And perhaps more annoying and disgusting ones. Some I can’t remember anymore and some I never heard of. Please feel free to share more face mask problems of any kind in the comments below. Why not? Let’s laugh about it. Cause otherwise, it will just stress us out. And what will stress do? Make us wrinkle faster, as someone dear to my heart always reminds me. One day, this face mask fiasco will be over. One day. And it will be nothing than a memory we laugh about. So let’s start laughing from now.