As freshman Maeve Pintal sits down to eat lunch, she removes her black and white cat-themed mask. It isn’t her favorite Loki mask, but she can make do. Like every other student, Pintal must wear a mask every day at school. But, she finds no problem with that.
“Well, I’ve kind of always wanted to wear a mask, and now I have an excuse,” Pintal said.
She feels this way because the mask makes her more confident. She doesn’t really like showing her face on camera when her classes have Zooms. So she tried a different approach one day.
”I put on my mask before I turned on the camera and I felt a little bit more confident,” Pintal said.
COVID-19 has affected LN and the world in many different ways. Wearing masks is one of the main struggles people have. Some people do not know how to properly wear a mask, some people don’t like that you can’t see someone else’s face, and others find them uncomfortable or annoying.
For Pintal, though, she actually feels more comfortable and confident wearing a mask.
”You’re still seeing my face, but it’s not all of my face, and I don’t have to deal with that today,” Pintal said.
Pintal doesn’t spend much time choosing her mask when she gets ready.
”I usually pick the first one I see or I sort of think about and see if it goes with my outfit,” Pintal said.
One of her go-tos is a Loki mask. But sometimes she wears her cat-themed mask.
“It’s cute. It’s black and white, which is kind of my aesthetic,” Pintal said.
Pintal has a favorite mask. It is special to her because it has puns on it. She has always liked puns growing up.
“I have this one that has this pun that’s this kitty in a Loki outfit so if I’m feeling it I’ll go for the Loki mask,” Pintal said.
She has always liked puns so this mask is special to her in a way and shows her individuality.
”Like I mentioned the Loki mask, it has a bunch of puns on it, and I’ve always liked puns,” Pintal said
Masks come in many different materials some aren’t as safe as others. Masks with at least 2 layers of fabric are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings. There are also the standard masks like the ones you would see doctors wearing. Those are very effective as well. The masks you should avoid are thin fabric masks that fall off your face when wearing it. They are not as effective to avoid getting sick.
Students wear masks not only because they are comfortable. They like to match with their outfits.
“I wear this mask because it matches with my shirt right now,” freshman Kaiden Sawyer said
Masks are the new fashion statement.
“I wear my mask because it kind of fits my style and it’s comfy,” freshman Uma Manning said.
Throughout LN, everyone is required to wear a mask, so people have been getting creative with it. Different masks can range from brand names bought in favorite shopping destinations to DIY masks.
Junior Sienna Lauer makes DIY masks for herself and others to spread positivity and have fun.
“I was watching the news and a lot of the news stories were just about coming together and doing things to help quarantine and the pandemic,” Lauer said.
She noticed the school needed masks, so she did some donations to help the community. She donated masks to the robotics team at McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology.
“The robotics team is just a part of the community I’ve been involved with for the past three year. It’s just something I’ve always been involved with doing projects with other girls on the team too,” Lauer said.
Pintal and other students continue to express themselves through fashion and masks. Masks are a fashion statement. Masks are a way to help the community. Masks are a way of expressing ourselves and feeling more confident. There is so much potential with fashion and masks.
”Frankly I’d love to put my own design on it because I’m such a nerd,” Pintal said.