“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
(Matthew 7:12 NRSV)
My Mask Wearing History
At the time of the first lockdown, March 15, 2020 in Dallas, Texas, I owned a box of 20 medical masks for medical reasons. I often wore a mask outside during peak allergy seasons to reduce my inhalation of pollen. With my long history of allergy problems, the mask really helped. But my use was outdoors against pollen. As an essential worker in a healthcare environment, I am used to PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to keep splashes of potentially infective materials out of my eyes, nose and mouth. However, since April of this year, I actually have worn double masks when I am with other people. My employer provides the disposable medial masks which I must wear as a condition of employment, and I wear a cloth one over it. I do not have contact with patients, but you can’t be too careful. However, like most folks, I had little experience with cloth masks before this pandemic.
The Cloth Mask Collection Begins to Grow
My first cloth mask was homemade using a pattern I downloaded and an old scrub top. I cut and sewed a purple/blue mask finishing with purple bias tape ties. It was rough but serviceable. It had been a while since I used the sewing machine. Within a week I made two more: one navy and one hot pink, both with shoe-lace ties. Soon my employer mailed me a cloth mask to use when I go grocery shopping. Then a coworker gave me one with the Eiffel Tower on it because she went on an altruistic sewing binge. When my brother mailed me the Campbell plaid design mask, I began to see the commercial impact as my collection grew. I embraced mask greediness when I asked my brother to mail me a vender’s mask he received just because it was purple (my favorite color).
I have learned a few things about cloth masks:
First, one size does not fit all! Especially for adults. I have a pug nose and a square jaw, so stretchy fabric, like T-Shirt cotton, is a little too tight around my cheeks and pulls at the ears. You must try the different styles to find one that works best for your face. Imagine a world where masks were sized like shoes. Will this be the norm for the 21st Century? If you have a big nose you might take a “wide” sized mask. If you have a pointed chin you might need a “narrow” mask. A big nose and a pointed chin might suggest a combination size W/N. By the time someone figures out what to measure on the human face and how to standardize that into a mask size system, let’s all hope this pandemic is over! Some of my masks were sold as children’s size and they work fine for me. Others are a little too big and touch my ears, but I still rotate through them every week.
Second, I wear glasses, so loops around me ears disturb the balance and shape of the earpieces. When the glasses do not fit snuggly on the side of my head, they slip, and my bifocal line moves making it more challenging to read and see. My neck is getting more exercise from a bobbing head to help me focus. So, it’s not surprising that I favor masks which tie around the back of the head and don’t bunch up around my ears.
Third, there will be fogging! Glasses + Mask = Fogging on mask or glasses or BOTH. Exhaled moisture may condense in unhelpful places. I have tried anti-fog cloths, a dried film of soapy water on the glasses, and Catcrap Lens Cleaner and Anti-fog Cream available at www.ekusa.com. They all work for a while, but 4 hours in a mask is the limit before you need to “air out.” I understand the physics of these chemicals which provide a surface agent to absorb the moisture, but I vowed to find a tighter seal around my nose to defog my glasses. So now, I usually wear lab safety goggles over my eyes. I purchased my own pair from Amazon because I am worth it! They are molded to make a tighter seal over the top of my cheeks and nose. Even with occasional leaks, I like the fact that my eyes are covered since this virus can be caught through the eyes too. My goggles ARE nerdy. I DON’T care.
Fourth, I also wear hearing aids on both ears crowding that space behind my ears even more. With glasses, hearing aids and two masks, I look like Baby Yoda with my ears pointing out. I wonder if I will need plastic surgery on my ears after this “unprecedented time” is over? I keep checking in the mirror to make sure I haven’t turned green.
My Mask voice
Fifth, wearing a mask makes normal conversation a little more difficult. Unmasking to speak to someone defeats the purpose of the mask and I don’t really trust 6 feet as the minimum distance. In a mask, speaking with co-workers requires a different kind of voice. I need to be friendly but louder. I need to speak with more clarity and enunciate. The mask makes me ask “Can you hear me?” and “Did you understand what I said?” This is not the “speaking to a disobedient child” voice. Nor the shouting voice. This other voice I am calling my mask voice. The challenge is to be business friendly while raising the volume AND the clarity through the cloth. I am working the mouth and jaw more to achieve my mask voice. Thus, normal interpersonal communication is modified, another lesson I never dreamed I would have to learn.
Sixth, make-up, like foundation, powder and lipstick—forget about it. Not worth the effort when it will rub off in the mask. Besides, no one is seeing the lower half of my face anyway. Now I only use moisturizer and an eyebrow pencil. On a happy note, I save time and a little money with my personal routine in the morning. Money I can spend on more masks!
Arriving at Mask Nirvana
For Halloween 2020 I decided to have some fun and purchased a limited edition MOCA mask (www.moca.org/masks) by Catherine Opic. It’s a detail from “Bo from Being and Having” which depicts the lower half of a mustached man’s face, a funny sight on a 70 year old woman. It has become my Friday mask ever since. It is also a perfect fit for my face and the best tie system so far with a top closed loop and a bottom tie that adjusts by sliding the string at the sides of the mask. I finally found my mask nirvana! When I wear it, people smile back at me. I can tell because the edges of their eyes crease up and they nod. It makes me happy to know I can lighten their day just by my choice of mask for the day.
And I want to give a shout out to Kcat to thank her for giving me my Santa mask!
As an essential worker, I have adjusted to wearing a mask (with my personal choice to add goggles). As a scientist there was never any question about it for me. As a practicing Christian I accept the responsibility to protect myself and others (especially should I unwittingly be an asymptomatic carrier). If I error on the side of caution, all the better. I remain committed to not letting this virus use me as a host when I can prevent it. And I am thankful that I have a meaningful job. I mask up before I go out the door in the morning and I take them off when I get home. I remove them during the day only to eat lunch. This process is not perfect, but what is? My system works and has kept me safe. I don’t think of it as an intrusion or a sacrifice. Rather, masks for now have become an essential accessory, like a ring. Maybe I am married to my mask, but if you are around other people, you have a choice and a responsibility to yourself and others. We truly are in this together, like it or not.
Call to Action:
Wear a mask whenever you are with other people outside of your immediate houseshold. Cover your nose and pie hole and whenever you eat, stay 6 feet away from others when you uncover because you never know which way the wind is blowing. Oh, and wash your hands often too. Deny this virus any opportunity to spread.
this is a test of the comments section. I think this is a really good post, well written with a postive attitude.
Jackie, catching up on the work you’ve already posted, and I’m delighted, enlightened and encouraged! I shall read your blogs with a smile on my face (under the masks) and prayers in my heart. The “call to action” is a must to push me out of the cocoon the world has convinced me build. Thank you for all of this.