Kim Kardashian West's Skims Brand Designs Face Masks

What Happened: Kim Kardashian West’s Skims shapewear brand unveiled its line of face masks on Monday. The collection includes masks in five tonal colors and they retail for $8 each. However, the masks sold out within hours and won’t be available again until next week. “Unfortunately our @skims face masks have sold out today but we’re working with our local partner in LA to produce more as quickly as possible,” Kardashian West tweeted.

• Getting called out: Social media users called out Kardashian West for failing to create a true skin tone color in her line of masks, which people called out as a harmful stereotype. “The nude shade for the Black model is inaccurate, offensive, and culturally out of touch,” wrote one Twitter user.
• Luxury face masks: At $8 a pop, Kardashian West’s face masks are a bargain for a mogul typically associated with luxury. But another artist designs custom masks with sneakers — including Kanye West’s Yeezy brand — that start at $5,000.

View this post on Instagram

NOW AVAILABLE: SKIMS Face Masks in 5 colors at SKIMS.COM. Buy 4 for $25 now and enjoy free shipping on domestic orders, while supplies last. To support the COVID-19 relief work efforts and help protect those on the frontline, SKIMS is donating 10,000 Seamless Face Masks to our charitable partners: @baby2baby, @goodplusfdn, @lafoodbank, and @domesticworkers.

A post shared by SKIMS (@skims) on May 16, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

The Frontlines: Face masks have become one of the most important weapons we have to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19. An April Gallup poll found that more Americans believe face masks can prevent COVID-19, and many cities and states are requiring masks in public.

A Mighty Voice: Our contributor, Natalie Allport-Grantham, shared why face masks are important, especially to protect others in your community who may be immunocompromised. “I personally feel grateful to everyone who chooses to wear a face mask, because whether they realize it or not, they are helping. They are not only protecting themselves, they also protect those of us most vulnerable to the spread of infection.” You can submit your first person story, too.

From Our Community: 

Add your voice: Join The Mighty’s Coronavirus group by downloading our app or comment below. … Or Sign Up for our daily COVID-19 newsletter.

Other things to know: For more on face masks, check out the following Mighty articles:

• 10 Fashionable Face Masks People With Chronic Illness Recommend
• 28 Fashionable Face Masks People Are Wearing During COVID-19
• What to Do If You Can’t Wear a Face Mask

More helpful thinking: Face masks are most effective when you wear them correctly. To prevent spreading the virus due to incorrect mask use, the San Francisco Department of Public Health published a guide on how to do it right.