The mask is to prevent vomiting on this flower, it is a Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest flower that exists. It needs flies for pollination, which itattracts with a strong smell similar to a decomposing corpse.
I don’t know what this picture is about, but why vent holes on a mask!? Companies that sold these specifically to counter pandemic-era infection should be fined…
Masks like these existed before the pandemic. This one was likely designed for sanding wood or general dust, so clean exhaust isn’t necessary.
It’s probably for the smell. The plant is rafflesia arnoldii, which smells of rotting meat to attract flies as pollinators.
Why would these be sold to counter infection?
That’s entirely my point, though I probably didn’t make it well. Maybe not this particular one, but all throughout the pandemic I saw people wearing similar Amazon/Facebook/AliExpress ones with vent holes, many stylized in other ways.
In other words, they sold products with specific aesthetic choices that made them less suitable for protecting yourself and others (obviously the entire reason mask sales skyrocketed during the pandemic), but made them more attractive to consumers exactly when we needed to protect each other. That’s profiteering.
