Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Masks Became More Than Protection This Year

Masks Became More Than Protection This Year

Face masks became part of our everyday wardrobes this year, and they evolved well beyond a form of protective gear.

Their key purpose going into 2021 is protection, but that didn’t stop wearers and designers from turning masks into beautiful objects as well as protection. The general mood became that, if we have to wear them, they might as well look cute.

Citizens were advised to start wearing masks in late March, and to leave medical ones for professionals. Many tutorials on how to make your own out of spare fabric sprang up, and some designers, like Christian Siriano, mobilized their workforces to start making cloth masks en masse. As the year progressed, the conversation around masks took on an aesthetic bent too. Not only was it a way to keep yourself safe, it was also a way to support indie designers who had been by the pandemic. Brands like Collina Strada and Gypsy Sport adopted fashion-forward masks early on. They became pretty as well as functional.

And when it became clear that Hollywood, street style, and award shows were not going anywhere this year, stars used masks to make bold statements on red carpets, at awards shows, and even on their personal social media accounts. Some, like Tilda Swinton at the Venice Film Festival, gave them a theatrical fashion twist for fun, others, like Vogue cover star Naomi Osaka, used them as a political statement, or to shine a light on movements such as Black Lives Matter. In a year where there was so much to say, masks became our new billboards. What better place to display a message than front-and-center on your face?

    

Naomi Osaka at the 2020 US Open

Not every celebrity mask moment was avant-garde: stars gave everyday outfits a cheeky twist with their masks, too. Lizzo even matched her bikini to her mask for a poolside dip, while Anne Hathaway sported a tongue-in-cheek mask on the streets that made one do a double take.

Those who did opt for a dramatic approach, though, did so in spectacular fashion. The queen of this was Lady Gaga. At the MTV VMAs in August, the Chromatica singer busted out her best social distancing-appropriate couture. She rocked several outfit changes with a different creative mask for each, ranging from a clear bubble hat that acted as a face shield to a hot pink latex mask that wrapped around her face. Naturally, Björk also got creative with her face coverings. Her James Merry face shield, which she wore for an Instagram video introducing a charity livestream that she was a part of, gave her look a futuristic-if not otherworldly-feel.

These lighthearted moments aside, masks were also used for poignant messaging this year. Tennis pro Osaka regularly hit the court in masks that bore the names of Black Americans who have been victims of racial injustice, including Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, and more. At the Billboard Music Awards in October, YouTube star Lilly Singh hit the red carpet in a mask that also paid tribute to Breonna Taylor. These moments have been impactful, though many have felt that these figures should not be used as fashion accessories. Yet it’s undeniable that their recurring presence on red carpets and at events have continued the conversation around what needs to be done to address racial inequality in the nation.

Around Election Day, masks were also used as a tool to encourage American citizens to get out and vote. Stars like Kerry Washington, Demi Lovato, Hailey Bieber, and many more all headed to the polls and wore “Vote” masks that stressed the importance of using your voice. In a year when wearing a mask at all became a political statement, the message came through loud and clear.

Below, more of the year's most headline-worthy masks.



Tilda Swinton at the Venice International Film



Kerry Washington in her “Vote” mask



Lady Gaga at the 2020 MTV VMAs



Lady Gaga at the 2020 MTV VMAs



Lizzo in her matching mask and bikini



Demi Lovato in her “Vote” mask



Billie Eilish at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards



Lilly Singh at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards



Anne Hathaway in New York City



Hailey Bieber in her “Vote” mask



Scout Willis in Los Angeles



Cindy Crawford in her matching mask and top

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×