They are being sold by Kim Kardashian West, Gucci and plenty of others looking to make a buck.
They have led to lawsuits, violent assaults and police intervention.
They could help determine whether President Donald Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden emerges as the victor on Election Day.
“Masks are becoming a new dividing line,” said Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history and the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities at Rice University.
During the coronavirus pandemic, face masks worn to protect people from the transmission of COVID-19 have been transformed. There is the clear-mouthed mask, which allows the deaf to read lips; the straw-holed mask, which allows the thirsty to stay hydrated; and the “trikini,” which allows bikini wearers to coordinate tops and bottoms with a matching mouth covering.
A sign of the maskmaking madness: A recorded phone message for customer service at Singer, manufacturer of sewing machines, warns