Health officials in Taiwan donned pink masks at a press conference Monday, April 13, as a statement against gender stereotypes.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung addressed concerns of boys being bullied if they wore a pink surgical mask to school after it was raised at a press conference the day before, Taiwan News reported.
Face masks are being rationed in the country due to the high demand for them amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Everyone can wear any color of mask. Pink is actually a good color,” Chen said in the Monday press briefing of the Central Epidemic Command Center. Male officials flanking him also wore pink masks.
He added that pink was a popular color too because of the cartoon Pink Panther.
Government officials, including Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, expressed support for Chen’s statement.
“I urge everyone not to limit their choices based on color stereotypes. Whatever the color of a mask, the ones that protect you are the most suitable,” she said on social media Tuesday, April 14.
Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung posted a photo of him in a pink mask on Facebook Monday. “Colors are gender-neutral. As long as they are worn correctly to protect us, any mask is beautiful and appropriate,” he said.
“Minister Chen took time out from the regular #Coronavirus briefing to discuss the relevance of his pink medical mask. The big takeaway: No color is exclusive to girls or boys,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday night. “#GenderEquality lies at the heart of #Taiwan values.”
.@MOHW_Taiwan Minister Chen took time out from the regular #Coronavirus briefing to discuss the relevance of his pink medical mask. The big takeaway: No color is exclusive to girls or boys. #GenderEquality lies at the heart of #Taiwan values. pic.twitter.com/jTrsyC8FDf
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) April 13, 2020
Government agencies, organizations and brands have also turned their logos pink, as observed by Wall Street Journal social media editor Joyu Wang in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
The Taiwanese internet is going "pink" today––an unofficial campaign to break gender stereotypes––following a tale about a boy who refused to wear a pink mask to school for fear of being bullied #ColorHasNoGender #顏色沒有性別 pic.twitter.com/ftAvPA9C7V
— Joyu Wang (@joyuwang) April 14, 2020
Taiwan recently donated 300,000 masks to the Philippines to aid in the fight against COVID-19.
Coronavirus infections remain low in Taiwan after it imposed a travel ban from parts of China in February, where the disease originated. Its control measures have avoided community lockdowns and outbreaks. It has reported 393 cases to date. Niña V. Guno /ra
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