• Chelsea Handler showed her Instagram followers how to turn a bra into a face mask in a video that she shared on Tuesday, saying that “we have to take matters into our own hands.”
  • The comedian is not the first person to document the process of creating a DIY face mask out of a bra – it’s become a trend on social media during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • The CDC recently recommended that individuals wear something to cover their face while out in public, and released a guide to making a homemade mask.
  • However, those who are exercising outdoors in areas where they’re unlikely to come near another person may not need to wear a mask.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

If you’re in need of a face mask but are struggling to find one during the coronavirus pandemic, comedian Chelsea Handler has some advice – make your own with a bra.

“Hey, for those of you who are in a bind and need a face mask but don’t have one, you can just take one of your bras if you have big boobs,” the 45-year-old comedian said in an Instagram video on Tuesday.

She then demonstrated how to turn the undergarment into a mask: Use one of the cups to cover your mouth and nose, then wrap the straps around your face and neck, and attach the bra’s hooks behind your head.

http://instagr.am/p/B-sLAGWpkn1

"With masks in short supply, we have to take matters into our own hands," Handler captioned the post, adding, "Men included."

The comedian isn't the first person to suggest using bras as protective gear against the spread of the novel coronavirus. The trend has taken off on social media, as many women document the process of creating a DIY face mask from one of their bras.

According to new recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals should wear face coverings in public to slow the spread of the virus. However, because surgical masks and N-95 respirators are being reserved for healthcare workers and medical first responders exposed to a much higher concentration of the virus, the CDC clarified that members of the general public should fashion face coverings from low-cost household items.

On Monday, the CDC released a guide to making a homemade cloth mask, including options for those who are able to sew, as well as a no-sewing required option made from a bandana, hair ties, and a coffee filter.

"The argument ... about everybody wearing a mask is not that it will prevent everyone from getting infected - it's that it will slow down transmission in the community a bit," Ben Cowling, professor of epidemiology and a mask researcher at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, told Business Insider. "That's already useful. Just to have even a small effect is useful."

bandana face mask

Foto: A woman wears a stars and stripes bandana for a face mask. Source: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The CDC recommends "wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain." That means people should wear masks in crowded places, such as grocery stores and densely populated parks. However, if people are exercising outdoors in areas where they are unlikely to come within six feet of another person, wearing a facial covering might be unnecessary.