and How Masks Saved Us
Fig. 1. Pink reusable Mocozy mask paired with a disposable mask underneath; picture taken in our local SUNY Geneseo greenhouse.
I can remember the first time I heard or read about COVID-19 on a social media platform. I was sitting in my bed in Jones Hall, which coincidentally is the quarantine dorm on campus now for those infected with COVID-19, and it was the Fall 2019 semester where my college career was just getting started. I believe my roommate mentioned something about a virus coming from someone eating a bat in China, and it never occurred to me the future would look like what it is today. A lot of people in December in the United States, and even January, were making jokes about the virus, taking it lightly, when in fact we should have started preparing. It was not until mid-February, early March when the risks started becoming more prevalent and taken seriously. Therefore, New York Governor Cuomo announced that all SUNY colleges and universities would need to send their students home for online schooling the rest of the semester. Keep in mind I first heard this news through Cuomo’s tweet on Twitter and it came as a shock because no one was directly seeing the consequences of this virus yet. Since we were notified so late, I had to pack up one suitcase to go home with on the bus I took my seven-hour ride in, and I do not even remember if masks were being recommended at that time or if I had a mask, or if I wore a mask. This bugs me when I think about it. I hope I wore one. No more than a week later, I had to drive up with my mother to move all my belongings out of my room. I do remember we were not wearing masks at the time, but instead, social distancing was only just being recommended. Once I was home for good, the news was on constantly in my home, my mother was watching it as she was working, and I even found myself engrossed in it. I honestly cannot believe I witnessed the virus turn into a pandemic and thinking back to the eerie display of numbers and worldwide count of infected is insane to me now, unreal. I believe the first masks my family bought were a pack of fifty plain white cotton masks, no special design or shape, and no structure either. I remember the chaos that ensued once the CDC recommended masks be enforced, you could barely find any masks, and the ones you could find like on Amazon were marked up so high and would not be available until late May or early June. So, it was a good thing we got those white masks when we did.
Wearing masks never really phased me because I always kept hope in my mind that this would only be temporary. So, I took on the mindset that although I need to wear these annoying masks now, I will not have to forever. Truly, I understand other people’s issues with masks and breathing problems, and I guess since I am younger and have no issues, I had an easier time adjusting, but masks just feel like a part of my face now. Eventually, I became habituated to them and sometimes could not even feel them on my face. I mean honestly, it was just another adjustment I had to get used to, and if it meant protecting myself and others then, of course, I would abide by the rules, I had no objection.
I guess I decided to wear a mask when everyone else collectively decided to do so, or when my mother insisted that we do, or when New York State sent out guidelines for face coverings. I would consider myself a semi-germaphobe, so I definitely wore masks as soon as I could.
Again, the first masks I wore were just simple straps with no adjustments and a flat cloth. No rounding to it or metal nose piece. Now I will pair it with an additional disposable mask, but back in March 2020, I did not. My family also then bought some packages of disposable masks from Amazon and Costco. Among the mask depletion issue, Lysol and Clorox were hard to find and it was a mad-dash competition between you and the other person at the store to get to the aisle it was in. I remember I bought new Lysol and hand sanitizer before COVID-19 got serious in America, so thankfully I was subconsciously prepared. I believe my dad went to Walmart every morning before work to see if they restocked Lysol and Clorox. Only once in a blue moon, he was successful. Oh, that reminds me of the toilet paper shortage. Boy let me tell you, my dad went overload buying toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues in preparation for the future that I can guarantee you I could have built a replica of the Pyramid of Giza. Honestly, people were comparing it to the apocalypse even in March and April, and I kind of shrugged it off, maybe not realizing the reality of it all, but I would use that word to describe it as I am looking back on the experience. It is just so crazy I experienced this in my young life.
You know, I always wished that something would happen to myself or my generation that we could say in the future “I lived through that,” but I certainly did not expect it to be this virus.
-Ashlee Rose Kuzemchak
Fig. 2. Handmade mask sewed by my mother; two ribbon-like ties and decorative markers to dictate inside and outside and owner of the mask.
My mother was considered the mask maker in my household during the mask shortages. She cut up old pieces of my cotton t-shirts and used ribbon as ties. She simply just sewed pieces of fabric to the ribbons, creating two bows that would go around the back of the neck and the top of the head. They were a nuisance to use in my opinion and would get caught in my hair all the time. She stepped it up to more structured masks with a pleated effect on the sides for a more contoured shape, but she still used the two ribbons, so it was not any better in my opinion. I am also a huge proponent of sustainability, so reusable masks were very important to me and I also tried to share the word to anyone that they should cut the straps of their disposable masks. Therefore, the predominant masks I wore from March 2020 up until now have been reusable ones, mainly from a pack of eight I got from Amazon. I refused to buy many reusable masks because I had planned to stop needing them shortly, so although I had to wash them more often, I did save money. My mask collection consists of pink patterned and blue patterned which match denim, so I always look put together. They have adjustable straps and a metal nose piece for contour, along with an insert where you can put another filter. More recently, near February 2021, the CDC recommended the public double-mask, so I would pair my reusable ones with disposable ones. Additionally, if I went to public places off-campus, my mother recommended I wear the K95 filter masks, a step below N95. These are extremely tight but very effective. What I find interesting is that certain masks have become associated with certain stereotypes. For example, the K95s or N95s have been associated with “goody-two-shoes” and the fancier patterned reusable masks have been associated with teenage and college girls. It is amazing how these stereotypes and conclusions that are widely accepted can force you to act a certain way, but they can, and I have even experienced this when wearing my K95 masks and feeling a bit embarrassed. However, health over judgment is always my motto. I remember my roommate had the flu in Spring 2020 before COVID-19 was a huge thing and my friends made fun of me for wearing a mask in my room. I saw it as no big deal because I did not want to get the flu and miss out on classes and work, and luckily, I did not. I do always get the flu shot though, and she did not, so it is no surprise that she suffered. I do want to mention that I do not wear reusable masks repeatedly, I wear them for one day and then wash them on laundry day, and I always cut the straps to my disposable masks. Currently, I am continuing to double mask, however, I might reconsider once I receive my second vaccine shot to decrease the waste of disposable masks.
Object Catalogue
Fig. 3. Image of pink Mocozy mask up-close; details include rubber adjusters, brand label, stitching, and pattern.
- Object/Work: Mask
- Creator: Mocozy Inc.
- Designer: AECKS
- Date Made: August 15, 2020
- Date Purchased: August 9, 2020
- Material and Technique: The mask is made of cotton, which is supposed to be the most effective material for reusable masks. It is described as being washable by handwashing and air drying to protect the fabric. The mask consists of three layers with adjustable earloops with rubber sliders, and a metal nose clip. The mask in discussion is pink, however, the masks also come in blue and black. The pink mask has darker pink almost magenta polka dots and white ‘x’s.
- Facture/Description: The mask has six visible lines of stitching on the front, two along the bottom contouring the chin, two along the side to support the straps attached to the fabric, one at the nose vertically to create a visual design, and one horizontally across the top of the mask. The seams are machine-made due to the consistency. Located on the left bottom there is a white rectangular tag that lists the manufacturer, Mocozy, in black letters. On the inner side, there is a slit opening on the left side where one can insert another filter. The inside is white. The company explains that the pocket or slit allows an individual to place a PM 2.5 filter to increase protection.
- Part of the series? No
- Place where it was made: Mocozy Inc. was established in Los Angeles, California. The specific factory where these masks were produced is not listed, but the business address is listed as 1265 Johnson Dr. Unit A City of Industry, CA 91745.