You would be blatantly lying if you profess to not have found the idea of masquerade balls in movies enticing. It would be an even bigger lie if all the girls reading this, who used to watch barbie movies, claim they have never wished for a mask themed function at their schools. Well hail my dear barbies, your wish has finally been accepted! You can at last prance around on functions fully glammed up in a mask. It is surely the definition of fun, right?

In today’s world, there are two categories of people, both of which would rather forget themselves at their houses than forget the indispensable, all important and crucial piece of cloth that veils the mouth and nose – a “mask”. The difference between the two types of aforementioned people, however, is that the first type religiously wears a mask like a sane human being (thank you very much) but the latter prefers to acquire a stylish way to place the mask, hoping to get selected to model for Gucci. To elucidate, they keep their masks below their noses, presumably to maintain “swag,” or it might be that they want their perfectly shaped nose to be extremely visible (we apologize Voldemort). The real reason, however, remains unknown, but most great thinkers suggest that their reason for doing so is that they are just downright dumb (cue theme song for Dumb ways to die). 

Since we believe wearing masks has transformed our daily routines, we’d like to detail the struggles we’ve had to encounter:

1. To see or not to see:

If you happen to be one of those unfortunate souls who are asked by their friends if they can see three or four fingers and instead reply with nine, we genuinely feel sorry that you had to exist in this mask-dominated period and pray with all of our hearts that you trip only twice in a day and not any more than that. 

Imagine living in a world, where you’re constantly asked to choose between breathing and being able to see, (this pains us too), as for our four-eyed readers this is a new reality. Regardless of that, we hope you’re able to find your path (which you probably can’t see) through these dark times.

From being able to determine someone’s rate of respiration, to witnessing people completely abandoning glasses, we’ve felt the pain, and luckily survived through it. In fact, we’ve scourged the internet and apparently “breathing downwards” helps with defogging glasses, (possible evolution?), well we certainly hope it works. Moreover, since we don’t have a 2020 vision, this problem is literally plaguing us every day.

2. Getting ready to go to the living room:

Keeping up with the Pandemic, has become the new norm, and our fellow makeup addicts have resorted to quite literally abandoning lipsticks and makeup techniques that are not visible through their masks. Alas, we can only offer solace and our condolences, and hope certain celebrities (we are definitely not hinting towards Kylie Jenner) profiting from the beauty industry don’t end up broke, and take up driving Mehrans instead of their Teslas. 

3) Pretentious teenagers realizing possessing an iPhone, after crying for months in front of their parents, is no longer a flex:

Facial recognition is a key factor in being able to distinguish between people and perpetuate effective communication, however, with the cloud cover of COVID-19, this too has changed with the introduction of masks. With half of the population looking like surgeons and half wearing the all-black too-cool-for-you attire, we clap our hands in appreciation at your fashion aesthetics. However, we cannot tell apart friends from foe, and so can’t our phones. Furthermore, we’ve observed that even after selling their kidneys, particular iPhone users groan with frustration at the lack of facial recognition (perhaps it’s time to switch to Android, sigh). Before we accidentally trigger a World War on the aforementioned opinion, we’d like to say: please ensure that the person you’re talking to is in fact the right one, we plead guilty and regardless to say it was a rather embarrassing experience.

If you ever paid attention to your English teacher in O’ Level, you would know about the idiom: every cloud has a silver lining and well if you don’t, we would like to remind you that you got a D in English language only due to the clemency of predicted grades and had you given exams, a negative U on your report card would be an utter proof of generosity. For geniuses like you, here are a few silver linings of wearing masks:

1. Sulk in peace: 

It is needless to say that the current era is the perfect time for people who like to sulk to engage with others without showcasing their desolate emotions (we’re definitely not guilty).  And believe us, that does come in handy when you enter into a new educational institution and people so naively assume you are very overjoyous and bursting with emotions. Obviously, we didn’t do this and are just proposing the scenario. While annoyed people gain this advantage, easily amused people also enjoy full liberty to silently laugh at serious situations. So fellows, next time when your classmates fall off their swinging chairs, show no hesitation.

2. Safe and Secure:

“The surgical mask has become a symbol of our times,” perhaps perfectly sums up 2020 in a nutshell and we believe it has introduced to us safety mechanisms that are quite necessary for complete eradication of the virus. The most obvious advantage of wearing masks is that it allows protection from transmission of Covid-19, however, we’d like to state that yes, there are ways to wear the mask incorrectly (seriously, it’s not that hard) and if masks are worn without the adherence of social distancing and sanitization, they are rendered useless. Subsequently, while masks reduce risk up to 70% of contracting the virus, we can’t help but think it’s like Detols 99% germicide policy, still, masks appear to literally safeguard us against the virus, and thus need to be worn responsibly. 

While Covid-19 has been devastating globally, it still remains integrated in our society, with adaptations such as masks becoming a commonality. Although masks may appear to be uncomfortable at times, they are valuable in subsiding the rapid spread of the virus. Consequently, in any situation, masks need to be worn responsibly, and it is during this time, that we need unity and responsibility more than ever. So guys, stay responsible and stay safe.

Emaan Ahsan & Hania Bajwa
TLC Writers