Surgical Masks are Now a Queer Fashion Statement.
It has been 5 years since the initial Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. The first waves of covid were devastating, ushering in a cultural norm of mask-wearing in everyday situations.
However, On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic officially over.
So why is it that, for the past two years, a certain subset of people have continued to wear masks in situations where they are completely unnecessary?
When I say unnecessary, I mean that they have taken mask-wearing to heights beyond what was ever recommended by health officials during the height of the pandemic.
The CDC once recommended mask-wearing in public settings where social distancing was difficult to maintain, such as in public transportation, shops, or whilst walking on busy streets.
But it is increasingly common for me to see people wearing masks when they are walking alone outdoors on uncrowded roads, or in naturesque parks.
What baffles me the most is when I see people wear masks to a public event, and then they remove it half-way into the event.
They just let the thing hang off the side of their ear, showing their full face, laughing and socializing for a few moments before putting it back on—as if the mask is a tool for some deranged peep show.
Ironically, these same people are not practicing any social distancing along with wearing a mask, which also shows that they are not really doing it to protect themselves or others from Covid.
Apart from masks, such people usually wear one or more stylistic markers: short and/or colorful hair, pronoun pins, or androgynous clothing.
You guessed it: The vast majority of said people identify as Queer.
I want to share my theories as to why masks have become a Queer fashion trend in this day and age, and how I feel about it.
The main reason why masks have become a trend is because Queer Culture romanticizes illness.
I have written about how Queer culture has made autism, mental illness, and disability into a hot fashion trend—but this also applies to other illnesses, too.
If you can claim that you are chronically ill, or what they proudly refer to as a “Spoonie” or a “Crip” (the latter of which was taken from the name of a famous black gang in L.A.)…it’s another way of gaining oppression points within this community.
As it relates to Covid-19, it has become popular for people to claim that they are “immunocompromised”.
Much like the term “neurodivergent”, immunocompromised is an umbrella term that a wide range of conditions can fit under.
But because sickness is so romanticized in Queer Culture, it is common for people within that community to apply these terms to themselves, simply because it is easy to get away with labeling themselves in a vague manner that cannot easily be disputed or verified by the average person.
So, some people will wear masks to play up the notion that they are immunocompromised when they are not.
This is very similar to how I have seen so many young, able-bodied “queer” women walking steadfastly with canes and granny walkers, as a signal that they have a disability, when they clearly do not. Sometimes, their canes will be decked out with glitter or pride stickers, to add a little extra swag.
It’s harder to decorate a surgical mask, but a lot of people like to pair the mask and granny walker together as a full ensemble.
So, here is how the mask trend spreads:
When one person says they are immunocompromised, there will be a flock of other people who will want to affirm and support them.
In general, the “Queer Community” is extra tight-assed, and focused on virtue signaling.
Everybody wants to perform their social awareness, and show how friendly they are to the sick, disabled, and oppressed.
So they adopt practices to flaunt this mindset, and they put them to use whether or not they are actually needed.
Even if nobody in their midst is sick or “immunocompromised”, they may still wear a mask.
Even if no one present is blind, they will still have image description.
Even if everyone in the room is clearly a woman, they will still force everyone to share pronouns.
So, the mask is just another element of the whole Queer Culture mentality, which polices people to follow certain practices and beliefs, as if they are worshipping an invisible God.
Surgical masks have become a religious adornment, similar to wearing a cross or burqa. Void of its true purpose, it is a symbol of one’s beliefs.
The mask can also be symbol that someone wishes to hide.
There are usually other ways they will hide from the truth, and from their own authenticity.
Other ways in which they buy into media-induced paranoia, and allow it to sit in their body.
For those who do not wish to be seen by society, masks have become a socially-acceptable way to achieve that.
At this point, masks are no longer needed. I got Covid for the first time in 2024, and it was horrible.
But I still do not wear masks because, I am not afraid of Covid.
I am healthy, and I trust in my body’s ability to fight illness. I do not conceptualize my body as a walking petri dish.
Maybe that is why it’s so rare for me to get sick. Our minds play a big role in our overall health.
Eventually, this trend will die down. Nobody really likes to wear masks, as they are so ugly and uncomfortable.
That 5 minute break to let the mask dangle from your earlobe will slowly lengthen until it is non-existent, and others will give you grace because they hate it too.
In the meantime, I see straight through each and every one of them.