Masks, now recommended and worn by a growing proportion of the world’s population, have reflected various perceived meaning across time. This paper provides a brief history of the socio-cultural perceptions attached to wearing a mask by surveying how masks were perceived in ancient Greece and Rome, the origins of medical masks, and the ascribed socio-cultural meaning of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of a mask has historically diverse perceived meanings; currently, wearing a mask communicates a bipolar socio-cultural meaning and a nuanced, divisive symbology. To some, masks communicate a belief in medical science and a desire to protect one’s neighbor from contagion. To others, a mask communicates oppression, government overreach, and a skepticism toward established scientific principles. It is the mask’s ability to signal a deception, or extrapolated more broadly, a value system, that is highly relevant to current public health guidelines encouraging mask use to decrease the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health officials and providers should utilize evidence-based health communication strategies when findings warrant a reversed recommendation of a symbol (such as masks) with a legacy of socio-cultural underpinnings that are deep-seated, complex, and emotional.

如今，口罩已在世界上越来越多的人口中推荐和佩戴，它反映了不同时期的各种可感知的含义。本文通过调查古代希腊和罗马人对口罩的感知方式，医用口罩的起源以及在COVID-19大流行期间口罩的社会文化含义，来简要介绍戴口罩的社会文化观念的历史。 。面具的使用在历史上具有多种多样的含义；目前，戴着口罩传达了两极的社会文化含义和细微的，分裂的符号体系。在某些人看来，口罩传达了对医学的信念以及保护邻居不受传染的渴望。对于其他人而言，面具则传达了压迫，政府的过度控制以及对既定科学原理的怀疑。这是面具发出欺骗信号的能力，或更广泛地说，是一种与现行公共卫生指南高度相关的价值体系，鼓励使用口罩以减少SARS-CoV-2的传播，SARS-CoV-2是造成COVID-19大流行的新型冠状病毒。当发现需要反向推荐符号（例如口罩）时，公共卫生官员和提供者应采用基于证据的健康交流策略，这些符号具有深层次，复杂和情感性的社会文化基础。