By James Linda
If you have ever been to a rave you probably have seen people wearing face masks and might have thought “that is weird why are they wearing masks?” Let’s explore the history of rave masks and why they are ever so important in today’s world.
The history
In the 16th century when the french would have parties or balls they would wear masquerade masks to cover their face. It was supposed to look elegant and classy and only the elite would wear them. The reason is because the rich could get down, could actually have fun and no one would know who they are. A bit of privacy which everyone really craves if you think about it.
The french brought their mask idea over to the america. If you have ever been to mardi gras you know from experience that the mask is heavily used. Along with feather whistles and beads. Kind of like at a rave right? Kandi is similar to beads and you can’t go to a rave without seeing someone in some type of feather fashion and kandi is pretty much mandatory at raves.
The safety aspect of a rave mask.
We often do think of the safety that a rave mask can provide. And maybe if we did we would be more willing to wear it. Most raves take place outside often in the mountains or desert regions. That can cause you to inhale dirt particles and dust, which let’s face it probably is not the best for our immune system and health. If you have ever been to a rave and wiped yourself off with a wipe you probably saw how much dirt it picked up. Disgusting right? Ok so imagine all of that going into your body. Not fun! Also because in raves you are so packed in that even with dancing you are still touching others, annoying rave train groups are cutting through the crowd trying to get to the front to see the dj. What is even more unsettling is all the sweat and spit that you are getting exposed to. Yes sweat and spit!!!! Because we are so packed in we are actually inhaling other people’s sweat and spit. So let’s imagine one guy has covid-19 correct? Then the crew of 6 right next to home inhales his spit on accident. So now those 6 people are infected they then infect the 6 people next to them. And then next thing you know, the entire fairgrounds are infected. All because of one single person that did not wear a rave mask. That is the major reason rave masks are extremely important in today’s world.
Incorporating a mask with your outfit
We all know how much planning your rave outfit takes. I mean we all want to be the best dressed right? We spend so much time planning our outfit, trying on different outfits or even custom making our own outfit to ensure that we are the ONLY one at that rave with that particular outfit on. So how can we incorporate a face mask with our outfit without ruining the outfit but still making sure we are following proper protocol and taking care of ourselves as well as our friends? There are many different ideas you can come up with to make that outfit pop. If you are custom making your outfit we recommend that you custom make your rave mask to match with it. There are many different types of masks you can purchase online or at a rave store.
The possibilities are endless, and there really is no excuse as to why you should not have a rave mask with you. And with things looking like they might return to normal soon, we can tell you that masks at raves are going to be around for a very long time.
