Masking As a Way of Life

March 16, 2021

Definition - Masking is where a person acts in ways others might consider “normal” in order to be accepted by them.

Definition - Masking has evolved and is now defined as concealing one’s emotion by portraying another emotion

I am interested in observing people that mask, photographing them and talking to them to understand their why and how they have successfully done so without suspicion. I guess this is in a bid to understand what reality has forced them into hiding - what society has enforced that because if there is one thing society loves, it is uniformity. In looking for the definition of masking, I came across a number of examples formed with various words but they all had the same meaning behind them. A difference in being. In my own words, to mask is to wear a face that is not yours.

People mask for all sorts of reasons - men mask because that’s just what men are meant to do to appear ‘strong’ all the time - they only ever wear their firm manly face - the never shifting out of control face, while the I’m-not-so-strong- today face is concealed lest they be considered weak.

Women mask in an attempt to find the right level of being - to not be too much but also to not be too little - why are you so sad? Smile! - why are you so all over the place - be still - why are you so loud? Who will marry you? - so women mask - one face a day in search of the perfectly acceptable by society face - the ‘this-is-just-alright’ face.

I have been curious about masking as a lifestyle and I am currently working on a series for ‘Masking’ with all sorts of interesting people from different backgrounds and it has been a blessing to behold.

Today I realised that masking on it’s own is not sufficient. If a stranger wears a mask and comes into your home, he is still a stranger and that instills fear. For masking to be a successful outcome - one has to perfect the art of Blending. How well can you fit in even when you stand out?

Blending

My favourite definition of blending - “is the technique of gently intermingling two or more values to create a gradual transition or to soften lines”.

Here are some questions I have with regards to Masking

Where do you keep yourself when you are playing the role of someone else?

If you have several you’s then who is the authentic you?

How long do you have to shift yourself before “they” decide not to show up again?

How is it possible to hide in plain sight?

When you mask so much that you change who you are so successfully, can true joy be found in that new identity or will you always look for you?

Before I look at others, I prefer to start with myself so I made several self portraits of figurative masking.

Welcome to my masking series