About

This Is A Sneeze / Masks Don't Work Parodies refers to a trend on TikTok, largely collected under the hashtag #masksdontwork, in which users parody a now-removed video by TikToker Sarah Jamison. In the original video, Sarah Jamison explains how she doesn't believe that masks work to fight COVID-19. She then shows the viewer her son's face mask, holds it over a spray bottle, and sprays it multiple times, showing how liquid still gets through the mask. Many TikTokers found the video irresponsible and incorrect and started uploading parodies of it in which they spray or pour large amounts of liquid through a mask to highlight the absurdity of Jamison's upload. Some TikTokers simply destroy the mask by cutting it or otherwise rendering it useless as a way to further over-exaggerate Jamison's video.

Origin

On October 18th, 2020, TikToker Sarah Jamison uploaded a video responding to a comment criticizing her for being anti-mask. In the video, she says, "This is the mask my son wears to school," puts the mask against a spray bottle, says, "This is a sneeze," then sprays water through the mask. The amount of water she sprays through the mask is arguably more liquid than a sneeze produces. The video has since been removed from TikTok, but can still be seen in Stitches and duets of the video. Jamison's account was suspended for a month for violating community guidelines, although it's not clear whether the mask video got her suspended. On November 11th, her ban was lifted.^[1] On October 18th, TikToker francisyoyo^[2] uploaded a Stitch to Jamison's video in which he holds what appears to be a CDC-recommended face mask under a running tap (shown below). The mask fills with water rather than leaking. The video received over 8.4 million views in 3 weeks.

Spread

Francisyoyo's video inspired a number of other TIkTokers to upload their own parodies of Jamison's video. On October 21st, comradecringe^[3] uploaded a parody of the video in which he sprays a mask with a pressure washer, garnering over 4.1 million views in 3 weeks (shown below, left). On October 22nd, thethickestjuiciestbussy^[4] uploaded a parody where he puts a mask in a Magic Bullet blender, yells, "This is a sneeze," then removes the mask and sprays it with the sink (shown below, right). The video gained over 6.9 million views in a similar span of time.

On October 22nd, Insider published an article detailing the trend.^[5]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References