The Complete Handbook of Masks

Chapter 1: Understanding Masks

A mask is an object worn over the face, or any portion of it, to alter, conceal, protect, or project the identity of the wearer. This definition is deliberately broad, and it has to be, because the category of mask spans a remarkable range of intent and engineering. At one end is the disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirator, a piece of melt-blown synthetic fiber whose only job is to filter airborne particles. At the other is a Venetian volto mask made of hand-painted papier-mache and feathers, whose job is exclusively aesthetic and social. Between these two extremes are the hardened composite masks of a theater production, the silicone appliances of a film-effects studio, the thick latex horror masks of a haunted house attraction, and a dozen other sub-tribes of the category. The mistake most people make, and the mistake this book exists to prevent, is treating all of these things as the same product. They are not. A mask for protection, a mask for performance, and a mask for disguise have different materials, different requirements for fit and retention, different lifespans, and different maintenance demands. The first step to understanding masks is to understand what the mask is for, because every other specification follows from that.

Consider the most common protective mask in the modern world: the respirator. A proper NIOSH-approved N95 respirator is not a single piece of material that filters air through its entire surface. It is a precision piece of engineered filtration. The