Covid Couture

COVID hit when I was in middle school, and masks became an accessory as common as a baseball cap. At the time, I was very insecure about my appearance, and I relished in the fact that I had an excuse to keep my face half-hidden. I ate by slipping food under my mask and sneaking outside to drink water. Many of my classmates did the same—I have no idea what some of them looked like. Even after the pandemic ended, I clung onto masks because it was a normalized way to hide my insecurities. The term “mask-fishing, ” derived from the internet word “catfishing, ” was used to describe people who looked more attractive with a mask on, as it left the rest of their face up to the imagination of the viewer. “Covid Couture” conveys the often overlooked effects of experiencing the pandemic while simultaneously going through puberty.