"..officials tried to convince people to wear masks after many refused during 1918 flu pandemic....
"These surprisingly relevant vintage ads show how officials tried to convince people to wear masks after many refused during the 1918 flu pandemic"
https://www.businessinsider.com/people-vintage-mask-ads-spanish-flu-1918-pandemic-2020-5
Katie Canales May 8, 2020, 4:44 PM
"Mask-wearing was enforced during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, but many refused, citing the government mandates as threats to their civil liberties.
Men needed more convincing to wear masks than did women.
Men didn't practice proper personal hygiene and also thought wearing masks was too feminine, so public health officials set forth to rebrand personal hygiene as a display of red-blooded patriotism.
Men and boys were primarily depicted in public health advertisements and cartoons during the 1918 pandemic when the Spanish flu swept the nation."
"A 2018 report from market research company Ipsos found that women are more likely than men to consider hygiene habits very important. Studies also show that women are better at hand-washing than men, a relevant feat in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Recognizing gender disparities in personal hygiene remains an issue."