Facial G-strings keep out the cold, help folks stay healthy
MONTREAL (CUP) -- The latest trend in winter wear may be wearing a G-string on your face.
A man who refers to himself as only Felipo is making bizarre-looking nose warmers -- also called “facial G-strings” -- to help Montrealers stave off the winter cold, and maybe even stay healthy.
Felipo, the owner of the Blue Cat Boxing Club in Mile End, said that he first thought to make a nose warmer last year after reading a study speculating that, in cold weather, people have fewer white blood cells available to fight infections, especially in exposed body parts like the nose.
Since viruses tend to enter the body through the sinuses, Felipo thought that a nose warmer might improve his body's defences.
“I've been getting sick maybe two or three times a year in the winter, so I made myself a nosewarmer, tried it for the winter and I didn't get sick anymore,” he said.
Felipo soon started to knit nose warmers for his friends and family, and eventually the Mile End vintage boutique Local 23 began selling the facial accessories for $10 each.
Each facial G-string consists of a woolen rectangle that covers the entire nose and is held in place by elastic over the ears. They come in a variety of colours and sizes, and it usually takes Felipo about an hour to make each one.
According to Local 23 manager Gen Heistek, people are curious about the eye-catching fashion items.
“I wouldn't call them a runaway hit, but they are definitely piquing the interest [of our customers],” Heistek said.
However, while a nose warmer may be a bold fashion statement, Pierre-Paul Tellier, the director of McGill University's Student Health Services, doubted it could prevent illness.
“[I can't] imagine how this would protect you from infections,” he said. “It could certainly protect you from freezing your nose, however.”
Still, Felipo swears that nose warmers work for him, and emphasized that the health benefits outweigh the occasional strange look he gets when he wears one in public.
“It looks interesting on people, that's for sure, but I wear it, truly, because it keeps me healthier,” he said.
A man who refers to himself as only Felipo is making bizarre-looking nose warmers -- also called “facial G-strings” -- to help Montrealers stave off the winter cold, and maybe even stay healthy.
Felipo, the owner of the Blue Cat Boxing Club in Mile End, said that he first thought to make a nose warmer last year after reading a study speculating that, in cold weather, people have fewer white blood cells available to fight infections, especially in exposed body parts like the nose.
Since viruses tend to enter the body through the sinuses, Felipo thought that a nose warmer might improve his body's defences.
“I've been getting sick maybe two or three times a year in the winter, so I made myself a nosewarmer, tried it for the winter and I didn't get sick anymore,” he said.
Felipo soon started to knit nose warmers for his friends and family, and eventually the Mile End vintage boutique Local 23 began selling the facial accessories for $10 each.
Each facial G-string consists of a woolen rectangle that covers the entire nose and is held in place by elastic over the ears. They come in a variety of colours and sizes, and it usually takes Felipo about an hour to make each one.
According to Local 23 manager Gen Heistek, people are curious about the eye-catching fashion items.
“I wouldn't call them a runaway hit, but they are definitely piquing the interest [of our customers],” Heistek said.
However, while a nose warmer may be a bold fashion statement, Pierre-Paul Tellier, the director of McGill University's Student Health Services, doubted it could prevent illness.
“[I can't] imagine how this would protect you from infections,” he said. “It could certainly protect you from freezing your nose, however.”
Still, Felipo swears that nose warmers work for him, and emphasized that the health benefits outweigh the occasional strange look he gets when he wears one in public.
“It looks interesting on people, that's for sure, but I wear it, truly, because it keeps me healthier,” he said.
