Background The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated masking in public spaces. Masks cover the wearer’s face partially and thus may impact the perceived attractiveness of individuals and hence, interpersonal relations. Objective To determine if facial coverings affect attractiveness. Methods  An online survey was conducted using 114 headshot images, two each- unmasked and masked- of 57 individuals. 207 participants rated them on an ordinal scale from 1 (least attractive) to 10 (most attractive). Parametric and non-parametric tests were performed, as appropriate, for comparison. Results For the first quartile, the average rating increased significantly when wearing a mask (5.89 ± 0.29 and 6.54 ± 0.67; p = 0.01). For control images ranked within the fourth quartile, the average rating decreased significantly when wearing a mask (7.60 ± 0.26 and 6.62 ± 0.55; p <0.001). In the female sub-group (n= 34), there was a small increase in average rating when masked, while in the male sub-group (n = 23), there was a small decrease in average rating when masked, but the change was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). For unmasked female images ranked within the first quartile, the average rating increased significantly when wearing a mask (5.77 ± 0.27 and 6.76 ± 0.36; p = 0.001). For the female sub-group with mean ratings within the fourth quartile, the average decreased significantly when wearing a medical mask (7.53 ± 0.30 and 6.77 ± 0.53; p < 0.05). For unmasked male images ranked within the first quartile, the average rating increased when wearing a medical mask but the change was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) whereas for the control male images within the fourth quartile, the average rating decreased significantly when masked (7.72 ± 0.18 and 6.50 ± 0.54; p < 0.05). Conclusions While wearing a facial covering significantly increased attractiveness for images less attractive at baseline, and decreased attractiveness for those that are more attractive at baseline; it did not cause a significant overall change in attractiveness in the study population.

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