Extra Credit Quote Analysis

"We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin," this quote from Andre Berthiaume is extremely powerful. I relate this quote to myself and to general people of the world. Sometimes I can get so caught up in trying to be like others that even when I go home and the only person I have to please is myself, I still can't seem to remove the mask I put on for the world. It’s not because I’m ashamed of who I am, it’s just that I’ve become so used to hiding myself that it’s normal for me now. I can’t just spin out of who I am most of my day when I’m alone because I’m too caught up in the charade. I can’t just do whatever I want. I have to hide my opinions on certain topics I see on social media

I feel as though this concept of being too impacted by your mask to change is true for everyone though. People become so immersed in who they want the world to think they are, that the mask they wear seems to become part of them. They can’t ever act like themselves because they are afraid of who they are. For example, a girl could paint her nails and do her hair because that’s what society wants her to do even if she doesn’t care so much, but when she goes home she can’t change, she still has to change her nail color for the next day.

No matter how much people will try to deny it, everyone wears a mask, and sometimes those masks become such a huge part of people’s lives that they can’t leave them behind. Whether, you’re a girl or a boy, young or old, you wear a mask. Some people may hide themselves more than others, but in the end it’s all just self hatred. I believe that if people didn’t wear their masks, we might find things more in common with each other than we thought. However, masks have become such a huge part of everyone’s daily life that removing them would be extremely hard.

Masks have, unfortunately, become the norm in society. Everyone who wants to fit in must wear them. Even with my friends, who I feel so comfortable talking to, I find myself still hiding parts of myself and now that social media exists, I find that I had to hide myself on there too. Every time I send a Snapchat or post an Instagram picture, I have to stop and think to myself, is that socially okay to send? It’s exhausting to have to still wear a mask when people can’t even see my face, yet I’m so influenced by my mask that when I see other people who don’t post to my friends’ standards, I feel sorry for them.

I wish that masks weren’t the only thing that ties me and other people together, but they are. “Don’t wear that,” “Don’t post this,” “Don’t say that,” these sentences are what run through my mind everyday. Thoughts that should be positive turn negative, wouldn’t it make the world brighter if my head said, “This outfit is great, who cares if you’re a little over-dressed for school?” or “This picture of you is great, who cares if people will think you’re self-centered if you post it?”

Masks are depressing, but then again, how can I break out of the stereotype if no one else will? For now, I can only write about the pain of wearing a mask. Maybe, eventually, the norm will change and people will be free to be whoever they want. Masks keep us together but they also tear us apart, if only we had the guts to change it.