Muderous Sex Face

Let's focus on this site maskon.com.
Where we can look at this:


And this:


And celebrate people like this:

I haven't really gotten the chance to wrap my head around this website. Those masks for sale are terrifying. Sure, sure... latex artists are amazing. Yes, transgenderness is fascinating. As well as sexual kinkiness. But I am trying to place WHY these mask are unsettling to me in EVERY way imaginable.

Is it my previous knowledge of witnessing gore films? Is it simply a leathery, deformed face that makes me think of terror and chainsaw massacre? No human flesh is exposed... making a desensitized monster?

Is it the actual construction of these masks? The fact that fake eyes are painted on. That the mouth is sealed shut. The latex folds over and contorts each face, creating multiple necks and chins. The artist talks about the 'realism' of the faces, yet fake moustaches are used for the eyebrows?

Or Is it the unbelievable creepy ordinaryness of it all. The plain sandy blonde wig. The business woman suit. The casual pose. I mean, her name is Kate!



Please Todd. Help me here.

-dd.


Hhhmmm....I've been intrigued by this since I sent that website to you. It seems to be a offshoot of transgenderism, but its different than my experiences with people who are transgender. The transgenders that I know are striving to attain either the gender that they inherently are, or a mix of both female/male genders, thus 'transending' the current gender roles.

The personal experiences that I've had with transgenders has been very simple and honest and to the point - the common message that they have always said to me has been, "This is who I am. Please understand and respect that." It has always been an honest and courageous statement, and I love and support my friends who are able to express that.

But, I do have to admit, these masks don't sit well with me. Because, to me, a mask strips all identity of a human soul. You lack the eyes. You lack the expression. You lack the flesh - the realization that you are interacting with a human being. Everything that gives feeling to what makes up a person is gone. I have always thought that transgenders strive for others to know who they are as people. This covers it up, to a great extent. The masks frighten me because I am not able to see/know who these people are. It almost to me is the opposite side of the pendulum; striving to strip yourself of ALL individuality in order to become something else. And in that sense, I lose all pathos because there is nothing for me to connect with. It becomes a hyper-extesion of cosplay where only the 'characture' is left (I'm a big fan of cosplay, I might add). Cosplay relies upon people becoming who they are on the inside - you keep the original person and build/elaborate off of that. No human quality means no human feelings from me. It becomes a living Barbie doll. Thats not a good thing.

However, even in the realm of female latex mask making, there are exceptions, and I do find some to be amazing.



Here is an example of latex mask making that I think is amazing:




I find this picture to be amazing/beautiful. And you know why? You can see the persons eyes. It's a real connection being made. Despite all outwardly appearances, the connection to the human soul is made right there. I am able to relate and symathize immediatly.


Here is an example of latex mask making that unsettles me:



In this example, I am completly unsettled by the lack of human eyes and the outlandishness of it. This reminds me of the faries in The Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask. It loses all human qualities to me by becoming a hyper-characture. Plus, I think I see a nipple through that gold suit.


I see and understand the allusion to the horror films. The whole point of people wearing masks in horror films (and to a certain extent, people wearing masks in general) is to transform someone into someone else. You strip the individuality of the original person and you superimpose another one on top. In horror films, masks are used in a fashion to either allow 'the killer' to do the acts of violence, or allows the audience to not connect to 'the killer' because they lack the emotional connection to a person. If you can't see who it is, then you can't relate to them. It immediatly pits the audience agains the antagonist in the mask.

For example :




FREAKY! NO EYES! Lack of flesh!




Not freaky.


We should each buy one of these masks and wear them around to see what it's like.

But I don't want a mask where I have multiple latex necks/chins. That's where I draw the line.

- T