Abstract
The focus of the article titled “Mask On, Mask Off” by Naomi Fry implies presenting reflections on a year’s experience of wearing protective masks and evaluating its impact on people’s lives. The author starts by expressing her feelings of disjointedness from other people. Fry states: “It was the many months of having communicated almost exclusively via Zoom” (para. 1). This factor led to an inadequate perception of other people, which does not match reality at all. The author’s feeling of disjointedness is aggravated by the need to wear protective masks that hide half of the faces. Fry notices: “Before the pandemic began, … the word “mask” brought to my mind the elegant Venetian accessory…but COVID face masks were undeniably unsexy” (para. 2). Although the author does not underestimate the importance of using individual protective gear, she highlights how it affected interpersonal communication and the perception of other people.
First of all, wearing protective masks reduces the ability to recognize people by their facial features quickly. Secondly, it bothers communication, as it muffles the sound of the partner’s voice and hides facial expression, which prevents one from understanding a person precisely. Fry claims that she misses seeing each other’s faces and showing her one and marks that even advertisement posters with bare faces have become more impressive.
Despite all the hardships of wearing masks, the author shares an observation that it has become essential people for the majority of people. They tend not to feel secure without having a mask on their faces in public places. It helped people to conceal their appearance drawbacks or allowed them not to worry about their make-up. One of the author’s friends said: “I miss how I never had to worry about acne, which I tend to get on my chin” (para. 10). Therefore, even though the desire to get rid of masks was strong, people are frustrated to learn again how to live without them. However, seeing full faces again means that the author sees live people with their emotions and impressions.
Summary, Feedback, and Social Commentary
I found the topic of the current article intriguing and interesting to explore, as it presents an issue which I reflected on for a significant time period. From my perspective, it is surprising how a small mundane detail may have a considerable impact on people’s perceptions and communication. Interestingly, I noticed that I share the feelings of disjointedness mentioned by the author. My relationships with close friends have become less lively and warm-hearted, as our real communication is limited. In addition, if we had a chance to meet outside the virtual world, occasionally, I encountered some challenges communicating with them.
The reason for it is the fact that video calls conceal some parts of the partner’s body, making nonverbal communication almost impossible, which resulted in a misunderstanding between us. Moreover, at real-life meetings, I could not indicate the smile on my friend’s face or notice signs of sadness or tiredness. It appeared to be that these details are crucial for making communication lively and profound. Another disturbing factor is that masks may muffle the voice and make a quiet sound even quieter. This causes a range of embarrassing situations with consultants in shops and my friend as well. It is very frustrating to ask a partner again and again about the phrase he or she pronounced. For these reasons, I struggled to talk with my friends, wearing masks. Therefore, I can agree with the author that some time will be needed to adapt to the world without masks on their faces.
Works Cited:
Fry, Naomi. “Mask On, Mask Off”. The New Yorker, 2021.