ZAP // Sir Sabbhat / Flickr
A new study has shown that debates and resistance regarding the use of face masks date back long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The echoes of past resistance to the mandatory use of masks reach us from where we would least expect them: from the barbers in China, 90 years ago.
A new study, led by Meng Zhangresearcher at the University of Manchester, the barbers went on strike against mandatory mask-wearing rules in 1930s China, arguing that they were unfair, uncomfortable and discriminatory.
The , published last week magazine Social History of Medicineshows how these little-known protests mirror some of the arguments seen around mask mandates during the pandemic a century later.
Although governments promoted masks as a public health necessity, some groups resisted, framing them as intrusive or unfairthe new study shows.
“As we saw in the 2020s, masks in 1930s China became more than a medical object,” explains Zhang, quoted by . “It was a question of politics, identity and social hierarchy as much as hygiene.”
Protests began in Jiujianga port city on the Yangtze River, during the scorching summer of 1936. Local authorities ordered barbers to wear masks to prevent the spread of tuberculosis and other airborne diseases.
Needham Research Institute / Social History of Medicine
1952 poster, issued by China’s Central Ministry of Health, describes hygiene standards for barbershops, including the mandatory use of masks
Barbers complained that, in the suffocating heatthe masks made them feel as if they were being “gagged like animals“.Through your union, fwent on strike, gaining prominence in Chinese newspapers and international.
Similar tensions occurred elsewhere. In Beijing, strict policing meant that barbers rarely organized strikes, but many resisted silentlywearing masks only when inspectors were present.
Em Jiujiang, the conflict would eventually end in a compromise: the barbers agreed to use them during close facial shavingwhen the risk of spreading disease was higher.
Zhang emphasizes that these barbers were not rejecting science; on the contrary, they were protesting against what they considered to be a unfair discrimination of your profession.
At the time, barbers were often considered socially inferior and pointed out as possible disease spreaders. Mask orders reinforced this stigma.
The investigation also shows how unions gave barbers the ability to organize and negotiate with the Statesomething that shaped both the protests and their results.
Os parallels with the COVID-19 pandemic are evident. In both cases, the use of masks was associated with issues of justice, law enforcement and balancing public health and personal experience.
During a pandemic, barbers were involved again in policies regarding masks and, this time, they were also expected to enforce the rules with their customers.
“By looking back at forgotten struggles like this one, we can better understand why people resist public health measures currently and how governments can respond to them more fairly,” said Zhang.
“History reminds us that when public health policies are implemented without listening to the people most affectedthey risk creating resentment rather than buy-in. Recognizing this can help us design health measures that protect everyone while minimizing unnecessary conflict.”
