A man wears a face printed mask. Photo: screenshot of RUPTLY video

 An Indian photo studio has come up with a novel idea of producing face masks that feature the lower half of customers' faces printed on them so wearers can be more recognizable. However, the Chinese social media reaction toward the concept has been less than stellar, with many netizens saying they find it creepy.

The face masks were introduced on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo by the Beijing-based China News Service on Thursday, but there were few positive reactions. 

"I wouldn't want to wear it. It's so creepy, and if the old one needs to be changed and I discard it, it would be like throwing my own face away," one netizen posted.

Some netizens noted that they feel the idea is creative but that they wouldn't purchase such masks if the concept was brought to China. 

"My aesthetic tastes do not allow me to accept it as the face on the masks can't be the same color as my real face," another commented.

US director and actor Christopher Miller posted a photo of himself wearing such a face mask on Twitter along with a comment that he found it as disturbing as he thought it would be. A later message added, "I cannot unlock my phone with either version."

Face masks have become a must-have protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has in turn inspired artists to try their hand at making them more creative. 

A Russian artist has designed small face masks for insects, while rechargeable glowing masks have gone viral on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao.