Saturday’s front page of the NY Times made me do a double take. At first, I thought the picture was of a Mexican drug dealer’s wife swimming, but after taking a second look at the article, I discovered it was way more bizarre.

Apparently, the new middle class trend in China is to cover your face with these crazy masks at the beach so you do not get tan. The article explained that tan skin is considered undesirable and makes you look like a peasant. To prevent from tanning, women wear masks. They’re made in varying colors, some with crystals and some that are more plain.

What’s also interesting is how these pictures remind me of a David Lynch movie. It’s also shocking to see the apparent laissez faire attitude the women have about wearing the masks.

I think it will definitely inspire a Steven Meisel shoot for Italian Vogue.