"mothernaturenetwork:  'Facekinis' take China by stormA parent and a child wear body suits and protective head masks — dubbed ""facekinis"" — on Aug. 16 while swimming at a public beach. Although a nice tan is desirable in many cultures, it's not in China, where people regularly carry umbrellas — not to shield from the rain, but from the sunlight. In an agricultural society like China, tanned skin traditionally implies that one works outside all day in the fields, while lighter skin implies wealth and a higher social status. Initially designed to protect the wearer from sunburn, the unusual swimming mask is also effective at repelling jellyfish and insects."
{"Image ImageDescription": "This picture taken on August 16, 2012 shows Chinese beachgoers wearing body suits and protective head masks, dubbed \"face-kinis\" by Chinese netizens, on a crowded public beach in Qingdao, northeast China's Shandong province. The face masks were initially designed to protect from sunburn but it turns out they are also quite handy at repelling insects and jellyfish, as many people in China dislike getting a tan, especially on the face.       CHINA OUT      AFP PHOTO        (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/GettyImages)", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image Artist": "AFP", "Image Copyright": "2012 AFP", "Image ExifOffset": "608", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB"}