In January of 2020 I was sick with the flu and decided to stay in the comfort of my dorm room, to my roommates dismay. I visited the health center and was advised to wear a facemask because there was a strain of the flu that was affecting different parts of the world. I recall being tested for this flu but having negative results as my body had already processed most of the illness and was in the stages of recovering but I still wore the mask out of consideration for others. I can vividly remember masks being relatively odd to be wearing around this time and as I walked to the vending machine of my dorm building everyone who saw me wearing a mask immediately tried to get as far away from me as possible. It seemed like the generic blue disposable face mask that I was wearing would be weaponized against them based on how immediately terrified everyone was after seeing me with it. This was one of my first experiences with wearing a face mask. Two months later the pandemic hit the majority of the world and everyone had to go into quarantine.
“Nothing could match the chaos that ensued when Governor Cuomo announced that New York would have to go into a lockdown.”
Nothing could match the chaos that ensued when Governor Cuomo announced that New York would have to go into a lockdown. I remember the frantic calls myself and others were making in our schools student union to our parents and family members and trying to figure out ways we could safely return home with our belongings. Back in February hardly anyone believed that this pandemic would be as severe as it was and in March as I called my dad to make last minute preparations to pick me up, I made sure to make use of the few masks I had leftover from being sick a month before. We were still in the stages of uncertainty but when I began to pack my belongings I chose to bring everything I could. I was a junior at SUNY Geneseo and I knew that once the school was unsure of something, it would probably be best to use my own judgment at that point while packing. I remember pushing down the anxiety that surrounded me and folded my clothes back into the bin I had unpacked barely three months prior. I soon took a break from packing and went to the dining hall with my friend. Most of the hall was empty with a few stragglers coming in and out and picking up food. I was too nervous to actually hold the door handle or even touch many things in the hall so I used napkins. We got our food and many other snacks because we understood that we wouldn’t be coming back for a while and didn’t want our meal plans to go to waste, and basically left the dining hall with several desserts from the bakery. I remember finishing my packing and helping my friend with his things and not knowing what to do for the rest of the night as we all sat around contemplating what the rest of the semester would be like.
The next morning my dad picked me up and mentioned that we should try to find toilet paper and extra water in preparation for the worst case scenario. We stopped at multiple places during our six hour drive home and none of the places had any sanitary needs or medical equipment. There was a quietness around the areas as everyone was feeling the same emotions of fear and confusion but understood that they should not be near anyone else. Little kids were kept close to their guardians and everyone was in a desperate need to find any supplies that could help. This was before the state had notified any of us of the importance of wearing masks but everyone misunderstood that we should not stand too close to each other. In March, we were notified that masks would stop the spread and that gloves could help. I remember it being a few weeks since quarantine had begun and we were advised to stay indoors that my mom asked me to help her with grocery shopping. I remember wearing a disposable mask and gloves and securing myself in a jacket from the cold and from germs as much as I could. We went out and arrived back home and immediately used antibacterial wipes to wipe down the items that we bought and pack them away. I washed my hands next and immediately threw my clothing into the laundry.
“Everyone seemed to be trapped in the same place mentality as quarantine dragged on.”
The first masks that I wore were blue disposable ones but eventually I was able to pick up packs of them at department stores or find a few online. I preferred using the department store ones because they were soft and plain and fit me well compared to the flimsy disposable ones my mom had in our house. I can recall not being able to see my friend for months and only being able to see him over Facetime as the months started to blur together and quarantine kept us reliving the same day. I couldn’t even attend the birth of my half brother, who was born during the peak of the pandemic, and had to be hospitalized for a week after his mother was diagnosed with Covid while giving birth. Everyone seemed to be trapped in the same place mentality as quarantine dragged on. I remember moving past the initial fear three months later and visiting my friend at his house to spend time with him. His sister was a fashion major and knows how to sew and she attempted to make me a mask. Although it was a beautifully stitched mask with a green background with multicolored polka dots and red ribbons attached, it did not fit my nose and squeezed my face and ears. I believe it did not fit because she was not able to measure my face when she made it but I appreciated the effort.
It is difficult to think that it has been more than a year since the beginning of this pandemic and everyone has changed so much during their time in quarantine. Even though there is a vaccine I am not sure when I will be able to walk outside without my masks or sanitizer or if life will ever go back to the way it was before. Masks have become such an integral part of our lives that it is considered part of our everyday wardrobe at this point. In March of 2020, I was wearing any type of face mask I could get access to which were usually plain but practical ones bought from Target. The type of masks I wear now is pretty much the same but I have more options to be creative with them. Walking into a store like Target today, you can get any type of mass produced mask that you want. During the pandemic it was rare to see so many masks but now that it has become so important we can easily buy a pack of them from any store. The masks I wear now are more fun and colorful and I allow myself the chance to buy masks like these because I am not only focusing on its practicality anymore. I have also purchased many types of masks so I know which ones I prefer over others. At the moment my favorite mask to wear is a light blue and white paisley printed one with green ribbons to adjust how it fits my face. I hope to purchase more masks like this and that masks as a staple of fashion at this point can evolve along with clothing in modern times.
