More Japanese youth wearing surgical masks to hide their face

"First time visitors to Japan may be surprised to see so many people wearing surgical masks in public....[some]testimonies by those who say they wear masks for the comfort it provides suggest that there is something psychologically deeper than self-image issues as work.

“I don’t want to show others my true self,” “Since my face is covered, people don’t know how I’m really feeling. It’s comforting,” and “I don’t like having to create facial expressions for people” are some of the reasons given by Japanese high school students who mask up regardless of the season.

According to Yuzo Kikumoto, author of “Date Mask Izonsho,” a book discussing why young people may have begun “hiding” behind masks in public, explains that many Japanese students wear a mask to keep them from standing out among the crowd: “They have an abnormal fear of showing who they really are to their peers.”

Others believe that having to rely on a mask to feel comfortable in public is a byproduct of Japanese youth becoming too accustomed to using e-mail and social networks to communicate with each other; they can’t interact with others unless there is a protective “wall” that offers them some degree of anonymity..."



[link to www.japantoday.com]