A T-shirt has exactly one hole for your head to go through. But when a clerk at a Korean clothing store hands them a face cover in front of the fitting room, a lot of foreigners get flustered. Even international students ask, "Does that mean my face is dirty?" That's what they asked me. ## It's protecting the clothes, not your face That's not what it means at all. That's because foundation or lipstick can easily rub off around the neckline as clothes go over your head. Makeup stains on white T-shirts or knitwear in particular don't come out easily. Clothes with stains are hard to sell as new, so shops protect against it in advance. ## Why do you often see them in Korea? In Korea, many people go shopping with their makeup on. Clothes probably got stained that often, and so some shops started using covers. The face cover is usually a disposable piece of paper or a thin cloth. You put it over your face, put on the clothes, and then take it off and hand it back or throw it away. ## Here's how it works Not every store does this. Many stores don't have face covers at all. If you see a face cover, just use it, and if you don't, ask a staff member, "Do you have something for covering my face?" Just ask. When you try clothes on without a cover, it helps to do it like this. - Unbutton or unzip the clothes before you put them on. - For clothes with a narrow neck opening, slip them on slowly so they don't touch your face. The clerk gives you a cover not to make you uncomfortable. It's so the next customer can try on that piece of clothing while it's still clean.