COVID-19 Masks

Navigating Life in a Pandemic

Airiel Pearlman

Covid-19 has impacted our lives in so many ways and has forced us to think about how we operate in society. It seems fitting to chronicle and examine fashion and accessories and by extension masks and the role they have played in our lives as we navigate life in a post-pandemic world. While we are not entirely clear of the pandemic yet, the correct steps have been taken by handing out vaccines and having better access to Covid tests, as well as tracking. Masks have also changed greatly over the last year and throughout the second part of this paper, I will try my best to catalogue and narrate my experience with masks during Covid.

Back in December of 2019, I was in Spain for three weeks over winter break, and no one in Europe was concerned with masks. Even as Covid spread rapidly throughout China, no one in Europe was worried; it was simply another international headline that no one thought would reach the level it did. When I returned for spring semester in January of 2020, I still had no idea how much Covid would impact my life, I was only going about my regular day to day life; I had work, ski practice and school. I had never worn a mask for health reasons until Covid.

The day that things changed for me, and I suspect many other people was Monday March 9^th, 2020. There were many cases of Covid sprouting up from the Manhattan and downstate near New York City and Long Island. I was at work when I received a text from my Mom in our family group chat. She was frantically texting everyone that she was trying to buy some masks at Target, but they were out. Later that day, Governor Cuomo announced that students in the SUNY system who were studying abroad would be called to come home. A few days later, he would announce that all SUNY campuses would be shut down for two weeks, and that deadline would only keep being extended. I ended up going home to Rochester, where my Mom and younger sister helped me move out on one of the designated days that campus had set up. It would be two weeks later when I would finally be able to get my things, and the statewide mandate that everyone wear masks would go into effect shortly after quarantine began.

Like most people in quarantine, it was difficult to find a mask at first. Because it was March and still cold for the most part, whenever I left the house, I would wear a ski mask that was a neck warmer, and I would also wear a bandana. My family did not get our hands on medical disposable masks until the end of March, early April. I have inserted a picture of me wearing the first mask I received (Figure 1). I tried to wear it as long possible, it became stained with my make-up and foundation. I was trying to be resourceful, and I think I was considering the only time I left my house was when I would drive around with my younger sister just to get away from the rest of our family.

The first cloth/fabric maskI bought was in June from target when more masks were in supply and being circulated. It did not have a wire to go around your nose, and because of the size discrepancy I had to buy a child’s mask. Either Target did not understand the size of people’s faces or I have the face size of an eight-year-old. My family and I often teased each other about the cheap and ill-fitting masks we would come across, or if we were unlucky, there were masks we bought thinking they would fit.

A picture of me on vacation with the first cloth mask I bought from Target back in June 2020.

One such mask for me was another one I got from Target. It said it was an adult small, and my sister and I had ventured out into the world in the middle of June, it was right before my birthday. We bought a two pack of masks that were an adult small, thinking they would fit us, but we were sorely mistaken. The mask I had wanted was a tan, taupe color with white floral designs on it. It had an adjustable nose wire and loops to go around my ears. The moment I put it on, it hung well below my chin. I had thrown away the receipt, believing it would fit and, but I was mistaken. My sister’s mask did not fit any better than mine, so we went home to see if they would fit my parents or younger brother, and to no one’s surprise they did not fit. We ended up donating the masks that did not fit to people who needed them much more and did not have the money to go out and buy masks as regularly as my family did. One of the more sobering moments for me during the pandemic was realizing how fortunate my family was in regard to financial security during the pandemic.

As the months of quarantine wore on, I decided to invest in a mask of my own because it was August and the pandemic had been around for much longer than anyone had anticipated, my wardrobe had started to adapt to wearing masks all the time. For instance, one of the biggest changes that I went through was not wearing large hoop earrings or my cartilage piercing for some time because the loops of my mask would always get caught and snagged on my piercings. It was just easier to not wear earrings at all, so I wore studs or nothing.

Another large change that I had not truly realized I had adapted was my make-up routine. As I mentioned before, in the first masks I wore my foundation would rub off leaving my mask stained. Between having to re-wear masks and the humidity of the summer months, my skin suffered breakouts because of the masks. I began not wearing any foundation, and then not any setting powder and then it came to not even any concealer. Slowly over the summer I became confident in going bare faced out in public and on zoom calls. I was working from home remotely, as many of us were relegated to during those long-quarantined months. During department meetings where we were highly encouraged to have our camera on as part of ‘team building’ as my boss had described, I would not have any make-up on.

Even now, a year into the pandemic, I have opted to continue my minimal make-up routine. It mainly consists now of a bit of concealer, eyebrow gel, mascara, and a bit of blush. My skin has never been clearer, and my confidence has grown leaps and bounds. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned throughout this pandemic is that I have to enjoy every moment to the fullest, not because it could all end, but because I have the opportunity it to enjoy it.

One mask that became one of my favorites during the school year.

Homemade Covid-19 Masks

The Beginning

While I was moving out of my dorm due to the pandemic in mid-March, 2020, was the first time I heard anything about masks. This was before anyone really knew much about what was happening, and so only a few people were wearing masks. I remember while I was moving out, I only saw one person wearing a mask, and since it was so early on, my first thought was that they were from an area of the country where cases were more common, or they were more at risk. My mom had a slightly different reaction. She immediately assumed that the person was either sick, or they had been exposed, and she was very worried. After this brief moment of panic from my mom, I heard more about masks from social media and my parents when it was starting to be recommended that everyone wear a mask.

I know that I decided to wear a mask in public as soon as it was recommended, but I don’t remember when I actually first wore a mask, largely because for the first few weeks, or possibly even months, starting in March, I wasn’t even leaving my house. I had gone home to my parents’ house to finish the semester, and so there was no place I had to be. It might have been recommended for us to wear masks even when I was moving out of my dorm, but I didn’t wear one then because that was the first I heard anything about it, and also I didn’t have any. I would guess that I actually started wearing a mask in late March or April, because by that point it was definitely being recommended for safety. I understood from the beginning, in March, that wearing a mask would be necessary for keeping people safe, so I’ve never had a problem wearing them, but I still found it less than ideal in the beginning. Since I was staying home almost all of the time in the beginning, I was rarely in a situation where I needed to wear a mask, so when I did have to wear one, I found it extremely annoying. I wasn’t used to it at all, and it was hard to get used to it, because the times when I wore masks were generally very short and very spread out. I was also a little concerned about how well they would work, because the only masks I had were homemade. The stores ran out of medical masks very early on, and so my family used homemade cloth masks instead. I was skeptical of their functionality because in my mind, they were somehow lesser because they were thrown together at home. Now I have a whole bin of them near my door.

My slowly growing collection of masks, most of them are homemade cloth masks!

The first mask I wore was one of these cloth masks that my mom made from fabric remnants that she already had from previous projects. I still have it, and I wear it fairly often. It has two layers, and a short piece of wire inserted at the nose area. The outer layer is a brown and light blue floral pattern, and it was one of the first masks my mom made, so the elastic for my ears ended up being too big. I have knots tied to made it fit right.

My first mask, made by my mom.

The Musician’s Mask

The mask I use most often during rehearsals!

My mom ended up making an immense amount of masks for my whole family. I only have a few that are not made by her. The homemade masks have worked out really well. My family and I did have to try them on a lot while they were being made so that adjustments to the size could be made, but they are very nice finished. My mom also experimented with different patterns of masks to find out what would fit best. My mom also made me several musician’s masks. I play the French horn, and ensembles went back to in person when we came back to campus, but I needed a mask that would allow me to play. The masks I use have two overlapping panels that can be pushed aside to allow me to play. Worn socially distanced from others in the ensembles, the masks at least somewhat reduce the spread of aerosols more than if we had no masks, while still allowing us to play.

After some trial and error, this mask design worked the best.

My Current (And Favorite) Masks

The masks I have worn most often since March are the cloth face masks my mom made. They have two layers, and are pleated, so they are essentially the same shape as the blue medical masks. Most of my masks are made from patterned fabric, so they have become an article of clothing instead of just something for protection. For a short time during the winter and spring of 2021, I was double masking. I used a blue medical mask with one of my cloth masks over it. I did this because cases in the US and especially on campus seemed pretty high, and I was going to classes in-person every weekday.

Double masking for class!

One of my favorite masks is a cloth mask made from fabric with sunflowers on it. It was made by my mom, Barb Stucke, likely around May of 2020, in East Aurora, NY. She used a desktop sewing machine, cotton fabric, and thin white elastic. There is also a piece of wire, about 2 inches, in the nose area to hold the mask in shape on the face. This mask is one of the pleated ones done in the same style as the blue medical masks, and it covers the face from the top of the nose to under the chin. It has two layers. The outer layer is patterned fabric with a black and gray background, and stylized sunflowers in brown, yellow, and green. The inner layer is pale green, and the thread used in the mask matches this color. The mask is sewn all around the edges so the two layers stay together.

My favorite mask!

The Year of Uncertainty: Masking and Isolation

My friends and I wearing our masks at a visit to Corning Museum of Glass

Masks in Media

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges that no body really expected. I would say that most people would have never thought that they would be wearing a mask in their day to day lives. Oftentimes masks are associated with the end of the world, mass destruction, war, and illness, and I was terrified of what masks could mean for us. Movies often show masks as something scary, whether they’re showing a psycho killer, a villain with a damaged face, or a post apocalyptic fighter. We rarely see masks as a good item that could save lives but instead as a warning. Shown below are some of the many characters that illustrate this.

A few examples of why masks are not typically perceived as “good” items.

Encountering Masks

In early March, I noticed reports of a mysterious virus all over the news. There was some anxiety among my friends and I but we still carried on with our normal routines at first. I was actually in a bubble tea cafe when I noticed that a few people were masked. It was unsettling to see the news play out in real life, but I quickly convinced myself that they were crazy to be wearing masks. There was no way this would become reality, it was going to be done soon. My roommates and I waited anxiously for the news that we knew was inevitable and as we expected, we were sent home with short notice. It is hard to explain the emotions that were being tossed throughout my mind at this time. I was excited to be going home with the understanding that I would only be home for about two weeks, I was upset to be leaving my friends, and I was nervous about the virus. Overall I would say that everyone was confused and overwhelmed.

Towards the end of March, the CDC began suggesting masks which caused more panic for many people. This disease was becoming a real threat and something most people haven’t dealt with in their lifetime. At this point masks were hard to get and not yet mandated.

My family and I were still under the impression that this would blow over and I would be back at school soon. One day my parents returned from picking up a few groceries and told my sister and I that half of the people at the store were masked. We were shocked, but again I reassured myself that they were the crazy ones. My mom scrambled to order some masks online in case we’d need them and I continued to hear about people masking more on TV. Before I knew it my family was in full lockdown. My sister’s high school shut down and my parents, who are teachers, were also told to stay home. At first, we thought they would only be home for a few weeks as well, but this was not the case. We started to have our groceries delivered, stopped seeing friends and family, and put our lives on pause. We were living in a new world.

For a while I really wanted to pretend that the pandemic was not happening and continue on without masking. I was locked up in my house after being sent home anyway. I was under the impression that we’d be back to “regular” life within a few weeks. But after no sign of change, I understood that masking would have to become part of my life at some point.

My first time masking

The news articles became intense and I quickly became terrified of the virus. I stayed in my house from the end of March until the end of June only seeing my mom, dad, and sister. I was feeling isolated and confused. I honestly didn’t really trust masks and I wanted to do my part in keeping people safe. My understanding was that I should only leave the house if I absolutely needed to and if I did, then I must mask up. The beginning of the pandemic was a time of immense uncertainty and people were processing the virus in many different ways. I was nervous for my grandparents who felt invincible, for workers who couldn’t afford to stop working, for nurses and doctors who were exhausted, and for people who were still partying and seeing all of their friends despite the danger for themselves and others. I needed to do my part.

During the 3 months I remained isolated and only wore a mask twice.

The first time was on May 1st, 2020. My mom and I ran to the super market with gloves and N95 masks that my dad had from doing house work, of course I took a selfie of our first outing with masks, a picture I never thought would exist. I remember being very paranoid and I wanted to run in and out of the store as quickly as possible. The second time was in June, my mom convinced me that I at least needed to go for a walk since I was beginning to go crazy from being in the house for so long. I wore a standard disposable medical mask that my mom had ordered from Amazon and since that day masks have become a part of my daily life. I feel safe and protected with a mask, even after being vaccinated.

My first time wearing a mask. My mom and I with gloves and N95 masks after running to the grocery store.

Getting Creative

For a while masks were hard to come by, they were selling out and prices were going up. Many people began to make their own masks out of old clothing, extra fabric, or basically anything in their home. My dad decided to cut up a t-shirt and make his own masks which he used a few times until we were able to buy more. A few of my friends began to use their crafting abilities and sewing machines to make some beautiful masks and sell them or give them away to help with the mask shortage. Personally, I have been wearing masks the basic medical masks or masks my mom ordered from The Gap sometime during the summer. They are triple layered cloth masks with fun patterns such as paisleys, flowers, birds, or just bright colors. I grew to love these masks because they were cute, comfortable, and effective.

My favorite mask

The mask I have worn the most would be my floral mask sold by The Gap. The main color is a dark maroon-red with colorful flowers all over. It is made of three layers of cotton with an adjustable wire at the nose and over the ear straps. This mask came in a pack with two other masks and The Gap continues to sell 3-packs of masks on their website. I found that this mask was very comfortable, it didn’t hurt my ears or give me a headache, so I began to wear it all of the time including while doing work, with friends and even during a visit to the hospital after getting a concussion. As I did my research I found out that Gap Inc. actually made so much money through the sales of their masks that they decided to give back to the community by donating masks and money to people in need.

Gallery of my favorite mask in use

Honestly for me, masks have become a symbol of good and bad. They meant I was able to see my boyfriend even if it was outdoors and with a mask on, they meant I was able to see my grandma, go grocery shopping, see my friends from a distance, go to in-person classes again. Masks also meant the pandemic wouldn’t be over soon, masks eliminate the connections you can make with a stranger with a simple smile, masks mean not knowing the bottom half of your classmates face who you do all of your work with. Although I am grateful for the protection that my masks have provided me with I am definitely hoping that the end of masking is near.

Social Isolation and Masks in 2020: A Recollection of Personal Experiences with the Pandemic

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.”

The State University of New York College at Geneseo’s response to COVID-19

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.

A photo of me taken during the peak of the pandemic after masks were made mandatory in New York.

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.

A photo taken outside of Target requiring that every customer enter the store with a face mask/face covering. Many stores took and still have this initiative outside of their windows to notify their customers of safety protocols.

“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.

Me being able to meet my second brother and reuniting with my first brother after months of separation.

My friend’s sister’s second attempt at making a facemask for me by using different fabric and measurements and keeping a Halloween theme when she gifted it to me in October 2020.

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.

My favorite mask with a light blue and white paisley print and green ribbons.

The evolution of my stylistic choices with my facemasks from the beginning of the pandemic to more recently

Stores and companies such as Disney, Target, and Etsy have adjusted their items to fit current needs and can now provide decorative face masks in every style to their consumers.

Mundane to Marvelous: Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thomas Mossey 
Dr. Alla Myzelev 
ARTH 300: Fashion, Art, and Politics 
Spring 2021

When the pandemic started last march, we were all sent home. The world was flipped upside down and turned inside out. The hysteria that only the town folks of Western Europe in the fourteenth century could have known. I still had half a semester of Junior year left and not knowing what would come. I was trapped in my tower of a room to finish off the school year. No sun shined for that entire spring- it was grey and dark from March to May. I was not permitted to leave the house, I was not allowed to go anywhere or do anything. Rapunzel trapped in her tower watching the hours tick by- tick tock tock tock. Then one day, in early May- I asked my mother if I could go for a run and then to my Aunts house so I could write some of a final paper. She agreed and handed me a blue medical mask for me to wear and some hand sanitizer. “Be safe,” she said and I went on my first excursion since I traveled home from school. The sweetness of spring turned into the sizzle of summer, and I began to get restless, but I kept a routine. Get up, workout, go for a run, watch my best friend’s coffee blog, shower, make breakfast, and then walk to my aunts house to tan. (She was never home- so we never broke any guidelines). The monotony of those first summer days did keep my skin beautifully porcelain- despite wearing the masks everyday. My first real mask, that was not a medical mask, was sewn and gifted to me by my older sister. It had a blue and red sailboat print and had red ribbons that tied into a bow the back.

Living through a pandemic is something that is not as easy as you would think to describe. A lot of bad things happen, but life moves on and sometimes good things happen- and sometimes you burst into a full Rockette kickline by yourself and that’s all okay. However, in a pandemic, or not, waiting for something to happen instead of admiring all that is already happening is the main problem. In a life that is driven in commercialism, we all forget that power, prestige, and money are not the main goals of life. The main goals are to center yourself, surrounding yourself with people you love, no matter how far they need to be, and finding joy in the mundane. What’s so funny about living through a pandemic is that what we all need most, community, is the one thing that was stripped from us. The universe has a sense of humor that way. Not to leave any of us without, we have social media: a blessing and a curse. From all of the connection or lack thereof, we have all begun to realize what a crazy world we live in and that in a mere minute things can crumble, but in its place, a phoenix will rise. The tower card will always lead the way for the sun.

That was the mask that I wore almost every day when I started my summer job at a pool. Why were we open, do not ask me. The pool had a sign with a skull and crossbones on it with the quotation “enter at your own risk”… maybe close then. The only reason I worked was because I had worked at this pool since I was 16 and they needed me to help run the operation. Going in everyday to work at a pool in peak pandemic times does make you feel a little like Jennifer from the Valley of the Dolls (1967) when she goes to Paris to film “ze art films”. Like you need the money so you go to work, but you definitely question the ethical implications of it. At the end of the day, I did get to work side-by-side with my best friend, Jayne, so all troubles did seem to fade. Before I knew it, I was back at school fully immersed in zoom learning and trying to traverse my senior year of college in a mask.

That really is the funny thing about the whole thing, everyday there was something to look forward to. There was something beautiful about spending the hours by yourself, and when you needed them most, your friends were always a facetime away. Just do not waste the time you have been given because of a bad draw of cards. Find the joy, happiness, and peace within every second because that is what life is truly about. Learning how to navigate yourself through the craziness and find the moments that make you remember why you are alive. Behind the masks, there can always be a little smile on your face.

I think the best way to describe my feelings on masks and the pandemic as a whole was summed up in the last fifteen minutes I just experienced. I decided that I wanted to go out and write this exposee in Brodie Hall, the academic building associated with the arts at SUNY Geneseo. While in the room where my journey as an Art History student truly began, Brodie 242A. As a freshman this was the room of the Art History Association, which was the first club I joined in January of 2018 after transferring. I now sit in the same seat as a senior ready to graduate, and my computer is not loading. For fifteen minutes I watch a loading screen turn and turn until finally I can begin to type. Instead of reminiscing about the room, my time at Geneseo, or even the birds that were chirping outside, I decided to waste that fifteen minutes being upset at my computer because I had to wait for it to start again. That was my last year summed up and tied in a bow.

Living through a pandemic is something that is not as easy as you would think to describe. A lot of bad things happen, but life moves on and sometimes good things happen- and sometimes you burst into a full Rockette kickline by yourself and that’s all okay. However, in a pandemic, or not, waiting for something to happen instead of admiring all that is already happening is the main problem. In a life that is driven in commercialism, we all forget that power, prestige, and money are not the main goals of life. The main goals are to center yourself, surrounding yourself with people you love, no matter how far they need to be, and finding the joy in the mundane. What’s so funny about living through a pandemic is that what we all need most, community, is the one thing that was stripped from us. The universe has a sense of humor that way. Not to leave any of us without, we have social media: a blessing and a curse. From all of the connection, or lack thereof, we have all begun to realize what a crazy world we live in and that in a mere minute things can crumble, but in its place a phoenix will rise. The tower card will always lead the way for the sun.

14 Months and Counting: My Timeline of Masks

Thinking all the way back to February and March of 2020 feels so alien. It’s been over a year and it feels like it’s been so long but simultaneously no time has passed. The beginning of the pandemic was strange. I understood the importance of washing my hands and wearing my mask and keeping my distance from people, but the actual evolution of the emergency was so gradual at the start and then suddenly we were in quarantine and the pandemic was all-consuming. I went from vaguely worried but going about my business to abruptly driving all of my belongings home with me for spring break with the understanding that I wouldn’t be coming back. People were saying that it would only be two weeks, maybe a month, I could expect to be on campus again before the semester was up, but it was clear from the get-go that we were in for the long haul. However, I obviously didn’t realize at the time that the “long haul” was going to be fourteen months and counting.

My olive green mask, one of the first reusable masks I owned during quarantine.

In early March, my mom came home from her work as an elementary school teacher with a packet of blue medical masks. I’d heard about masks and other prevention tactics like social distancing from the radio and TV news. The CDC recommendations have been plastered everywhere since the very beginning and they’re impossible to miss, but it was my mom coming home with that plastic package of disposable blue surgical masks that made it click that this was something real and pertained to me. When I heard about them on the news, I thought that masks were a good idea, but I hadn’t really considered wearing one myself. I’ve always been a homebody so there were very few occasions where I actually needed to leave my house and wear a mask. Up until then, it had just been an abstract concept that had sent me home in the middle of the semester. Those masks were one of the first concrete changes to my life that made me realize that this was really happening. I wasn’t just on an extended spring break, there was a real national health emergency in progress.

The CDC recommendations have been impossible to miss, but it was that plastic package of disposable blue surgical masks that made it click that this was real.
– Una McGowan

I started wearing a mask almost immediately after coming home from Geneseo. Although I didn’t leave the house often, both my dad and sister qualify as immunocompromised and my mom works with schoolchildren so it was really important to all of us that we took as many precautions as we possibly could. Personally, I worked the front desk at the local history museum, greeting visitors until we were shut down, so I also took wearing a mask while engaging with the public very seriously.

The concept of wearing a mask was not completely foreign to me, I’ve heard of the health benefits of wearing them all my life from my Korean family as well as from friends who live in New York City. The transition to wearing them was quick and painless, but I definitely walked out of the house without one enough times that I needed to start carrying a package of new ones in my car. I’m grateful that we’ve started vaccinations and are now slowly transitioning away from needing to be masked all the time, but now I feel like something is missing when I’m out of the house without one on.

At the very start of the pandemic, I saw a lot of people attempting to make their own masks. I saw people donating handmade masks or wearing custom-fitted coverings over their disposable ones. I have a lot of personal experience with sewing and tailoring, it was a hobby I picked up in middle school that’s proved to be one of the most useful things I’ve ever done, so it was almost inevitable that I would try to make my own. Finding a pattern online that I liked and was sized correctly for my face was easy enough.

I created a double-layer mask out of fabric from a pair of old T-shirts with the filter of a surgical mask in the middle for good measure, and then I finished it off with some elastic to go around my ears. The whole thing was handsewn (I’ve never really liked sewing machines) and I think it turned out well. It sits on my nose comfortably and I can wash it instead of throwing away my reusable masks. However, once I started going out more regularly and the museum started up again (for personnel and in-house work, we’re still closed to the public), I decided to retire it in exchange for higher quality masks made by professionals.

I’ve had a good handful of reusable masks over the course of the pandemic, including an olive drab cloth mask that my military coworkers at the history museum all thought was hilarious and well-suited to the archive of uniforms I was assigned to catalog, but my family and I eventually settled on KF94 masks. KF94 masks are disposable masks originally used and popularized in Korea that offer similar protection to N95 masks without the worry of using up resources that medical personnel need to properly do their jobs.

One of my KF94 masks, which I was able to purchase in bulk from an H-Mart near my house.

Out of all of the masks I’ve had, the one the most special to me is one I rarely ever wear. Even though it’s huge and barely even fits over a bulky KF94, my favorite mask is the bright blue WMC Health mask that I received after my second vaccine dose. This mask is soft and made of several layers of fabric without feeling smothering, but it also definitely has a “one size fits all” design, with a wide front panel and extra-long ear loops. On its own, it isn’t much use to me, but as a second layer, it works well enough. It’s the most important to me not because of its function but because of where I got it and what it represents. I know that the pandemic isn’t over yet, but that mask and the vaccination it celebrates means that we’re at least in the home stretch.

It’s the most important to me not because of its function but because of where I got it and what it represents.

Our New Reality

Grace Tinklepaugh
Dr. Alla Myzelev
ARTH 300: Fashion, Art, and Politics
Spring 2021

At the beginning of the pandemic, there slowly started to be whispers of people having to wear masks to stop the spread of Covid-19. Masks were not a new concept as many of us knew that in Asian countries it was common for people to wear masks because of pollution and disease, but none of us ever expected it to be a reality in the United States. I first heard about masks at the beginning when the news started documenting what was happening in Italy.

Before being sent home from SUNY Geneseo, the news was beginning to document the effect of the virus in Italy, preparing Americans for what was possible to come. In February, at the beginning of the pandemic before it was in the United States, I was unsure how to feel about masks. On one hand, I was open to wearing one, but on the other I didn’t think in that moment it was necessary. For all of February and the majority of March I did not wear a mask. Once I was home in mid-March me and my family made the conscious decision to start wearing masks as it got worse not only in the United States, but in my hometown of Buffalo, New York. Soon after this my place of work, Wegmans, gave employees the options to wear masks. At first many employees, myself included, did not wear masks. Only a rare few of employees would wear the blue disposable masks to work.

We had clear window glass separating us from customers and a set cleaning schedule that in the beginning many of us felt we were safe enough with these guidelines in place. By the end of March, all employees were expected to wear a mask to work and my employer gave us free disposable masks for each shift, and later gave us two reusable fabric masks to start wearing every day.

In the beginning the first masks I wore were the light blue disposable masks. My mom, who was cautious of Covid-19 early on, had mass ordered reusable fabric masks for our family that we were patiently waiting for. Besides the disposable masks we all know, one of my first reusable masks was made by my Aunt. My aunt started making fabric masks for her friends and family because in the beginning there were little to no reusable masks in stores. My aunt Sue was quick to find videos and templates online to make masks and found the process to be super easy. The first few weeks at the beginning of the pandemic my aunt had stocked up on various designs of fabric and had made around 100 masks that she made for herself, her friends, coworkers, and family. Now that the pandemic has been going on for quite some time my aunt no longer makes masks since so many are sold in stores now.

Since March I either wear disposable light blue masks or reusable fabric masks from Old Navy. I have found that Old Navy makes the best reusable masks for me because the fabric is comfortable, they come in a huge variety of colors and patterns, and the straps on the sides can adjust depending on the tightness you want. This mask is made of 100% cotton and very comfortable for days when I work long shifts and have to wear my mask for upwards of eight hours. My family also now only strictly wears the Old Navy reusable masks because of how comfortable and easy to use they are.

My sister and I both work at Wegmans and often have to wear a mask for four to six hours depending on the day. We found these masks are the most comfortable while still keeping us safe. These masks are also in compliance with our work uniform, since our employer wants all employees to have plain colored or patterned masks. I also like these masks because they are so easy to clean and don’t shrink, like other fabric masks tend to do. The reusable fabric masks from old navy are also super affordable and have constant new designs to choose from. The mask I have chosen as my usual mask of choice is a reusable fabric mask from Old Navy. I would consider this mask to be a part of Pandemic fashion as reusable fabric masks are now very popular and a part of everyday fashion and safety.

My mask is a light blue green with white adjustable straps. The mask is 7.5 inches long and 3.5 inches wide. The material used for this mask is 100% cotton and very soft and comfortable to wear. There is one label indicating it is an Old Navy product, what it is made of, and how to wash it.

This object was mass produced and made in China according to the tag on the item. This mask is a light blue green color with white straps on the side. This is not the only color/design that the Old Navy masks come in, but all of them do have white straps regardless. This mask is only one month old. It is still the original shade and was kept well intact. There are no signs of tears or repairs needed to be made. The Old Navy masks that I own all have remained in good condition with the original color still visible and no rips or distress marks. The story behind this mask is that it was bought for me by my mother for Easter. My family’s favorite masks are from Old Navy and they are the ones we strictly buy now. My mom purchased a pack of ten for only around five dollars and split them among our family. This is one of the masks I wear the most regularly because it is one of my favorite colors. The events that influenced the production of this object was the need for a reusable mask during the pandemic. As it was getting harder and harder to find a supply of disposable masks, which you are recommended not to reuse, people needed a new form of mask that would keep you safe and last.