They also found that each groups' respective anti- and pro-mask inclinations are intensified in situations where their attractiveness is important -- such as a job interview, versus simply walking a dog. That is, someone who considers themselves relatively unattractive is more likely to mask up at the interview.

Earlier studies found that unattractive people are indeed considered more attractive when wearing masks, while the good-looking crowd is perceived as less attractive, the researchers noted.

Koreans have coined a slang term for less-attractive people who wear a mask to benefit from letting others give them the benefit of the doubt about what's under it: "ma-gi-kkun." In the United States, the term "mask-fishing" was popularized on TikTok, and has some traction in the school-age cohort. As the New York Times noted last year, masks "obscured all kinds of transformations teenagers may feel inclined to hide: braces, pimples, acne scars, the first growths of facial hair."

Originally Posted By Pats2022SBwin⏩