This Magazine Is Celebrating Masks This Month With 10 Stunning Covers

Authors: Jackie Marchildon and Olivia Kestin

Heather Hazzan for SELF Magazine

Why Global Citizens Should Care
Masks have become one of the best tools in public health as the world waits for vaccines and treatments to be developed for COVID-19. Join Global Citizen and take action on issues connected to Global Goal 3: ensuring good health and well-being for all.

Masks provide the best line of defense against COVID-19, but they’ve also become a fashion statement, a means for companies to repurpose their warehouses, and a public health tool that deserves all the praise.

That's why SELF magazine dedicated the August covers of its digital edition to masks through its initiative Mask On: A Visual Celebration.

"We know that infected people can be contagious before they show any symptoms," SELF Visuals Director Amber Venerable and Editor-in-Chief Carolyn Kylstra wrote in their editor’s letter. "We know that people can expel the virus into the air by talking, coughing, sneezing, singing, and even just breathing. We know that breathing it in can make you sick, as can picking up the virus from a surface and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes."

They added: "And we know that wearing a mask can help minimize your risk of spreading the virus — and possibly of contracting it, too. Wearing a mask isn’t the only thing we need to do to tackle COVID-19, but it’s a crucial one. And aren’t we lucky that something so important is also so doable?"

Mask by Cotton Citizen.
Mask by Cotton Citizen.
Image: Micaiah Carter for SELF Magazine

A study in May revealed that wearing a surgical mask can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by up to 75%. 

Masks prevent the spray of droplets from sneezing, coughing, and talking when worn over the mouth and nose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So, knowing their impact as a vital public health tool, SELF (self-declared big fans of masks) has taken it upon itself to not only cover them from all sorts of angles — showing the good masks, the bad masks, and the importance of masks — but also to highlight their importance through art.

Image: Graydon Herriott for SELF Magazine

Venerable hired 10 artists to develop visuals for 10 different magazine covers that showcase masks — and the results are beautiful.

"Our hope is that you’ll join us in affirming, celebrating, and — most important — wearing masks, for the sake of personal and public health," Venerable and Kylstra wrote in their letter. "Mask on."

Check out more of the amazing artwork below.

“For this illustration, I wanted to graphically interpret spaces inside and outside from geometric shapes and colors. The representation of clouds as freedom and the use of the mask as the only safe way to be in that space.” —Bárbara Maligoli.
“For this illustration, I wanted to graphically interpret spaces inside and outside from geometric shapes and colors. The representation of clouds as freedom and the use of the mask as the only safe way to be in that space.” —Bárbara Maligoli.
Image: Bárbara Maligoli for SELF Magazine

“I think a lot of us have become exhausted by mask wearing, so I saw this as an opportunity to breathe (literally) new life into the image of ‘the mask’..." —Lelanie Foster
“I think a lot of us have become exhausted by mask wearing, so I saw this as an opportunity to breathe (literally) new life into the image of ‘the mask’ and make it more about self-expression and personal style while still valuing the importance of public health and safety.” —Lelanie Foster
Image: Lelanie Foster for SELF Magazine

“We wanted to capture the way that summer feels so perfect in mid-August. And that even with a mask (the very least we can do to protect the common good), summer is still the best season.” —Graydon Herriott
“We wanted to capture the way that summer feels so perfect in mid-August. And that even with a mask (the very least we can do to protect the common good), summer is still the best season.” —Graydon Herriott
Image: Graydon Herriott for SELF Magazine

“I wanted to show a community of people, since wearing a mask is not only to protect yourself but also your fellow citizens.” —Abbey Lossing
“I wanted to show a community of people, since wearing a mask is not only to protect yourself but also your fellow citizens.” —Abbey Lossing
Image: Abbey Lossing for SELF Magazine

"I like to think of masks as the human equivalent of an organic fruit label: ‘safe, responsibly grown.’” —Chelsea Kyle. Food Styling by Drew Aichele.
"I like to think of masks as the human equivalent of an organic fruit label: ‘safe, responsibly grown.’” —Chelsea Kyle. Food Styling by Drew Aichele.
Image: Chelsea Kyle for SELF Magazine

“My piece is inspired by the idea of, instead of resisting what is now the new normal, it's time to adapt. While I'm sure we can agree that wearing a mask can be uncomfortable, we have to be responsible and take the proper precautions...” —Laci Jordan
“My piece is inspired by the idea of, instead of resisting what is now the new normal, it's time to adapt. While I'm sure we can agree that wearing a mask can be uncomfortable, we have to be responsible and take the proper precautions...” —Laci Jordan
Image: Laci Jordan for SELF Magazine

“For this shoot we wanted to create a juxtaposition of the pandemic of 1918 paired with our current public health situation. The fashion in the shoot is a nod to that story.” —Rahim Fortune
“For this shoot we wanted to create a juxtaposition of the pandemic of 1918 paired with our current public health situation. The fashion in the shoot is a nod to that story.” —Rahim Fortune
Image: Rahim Fortune for SELF Magazine

"I wanted my image to feel dreamy, intimate, and a little fantastical. I knew the dynamic Chloé Véro would be able to bring: a sense of connectedness and power, both of which feel integral to this important story.” —Heather Hazzan
"I wanted my image to feel dreamy, intimate, and a little fantastical. I knew the dynamic Chloé Véro would be able to bring: a sense of connectedness and power, both of which feel integral to this important story.” —Heather Hazzan
Image: Heather Hazzan for SELF Magazine

“I was imagining a lady from the past, maybe from the Middle Ages, wearing her sumptuous dress and a mask.” —Diana Ejaita
“I was imagining a lady from the past, maybe from the Middle Ages, wearing her sumptuous dress and a mask.” —Diana Ejaita
Image: Diana Ejaita for SELF Magazine