Students feel ‘vulnerable’ without masks

From covering a pimple to a bad shave, masks have been our friends when it comes to insecurities.

Since mid-September, mask mandates have been scrapped leaving some students missing them. On the streets of Wellington, students let Massive know how they felt.

Pheobe Smalley, first-year Film student at Massey said, “I felt kind of secure with a mask on, you feel quite vulnerable without one.” While she liked the freedom of not wearing a mask, Smalley liked being able to cover up breakouts with them.

Smalley felt nervous without a mask in big crowds. “I still wear my mask on the bus because you're in close contact with a lot of people. Covid’s still around and I don’t want to get it again.”

Rachael Patterson, studying Education at Victoria, said she would get acne from her mask, or ‘maskne’. However, her mask would cover this. Patterson was conflicted, saying she’s glad her ‘maskne’ will settle as she wears her mask less. But she wanted her mask to hide it in the meantime.

“I like lip syncing to my music under my mask,” is something Patterson particularly missed about not wearing one. As well as making faces at people like poking her tongue out and frowning.

However, WelTec student Alex Short is not missing wearing masks whatsoever. “It was annoying and itchy and hot.” Short didn’t relate when it came to mask helping out with insecurities. “I didn’t like any of it.”

When he heard the announcement that the mandates were over, Short was stoked. He thought it would be a great change and he never wears his mask now.

Karunikah Pere-Walker, first-year Architecture student at Victoria said, “I’m more comfortable in public spaces with a mask.” She felt it was better when there were mask mandates as now there's social pressures to not wear them.

Having been at the busy Auckland shops recently, Walker didn’t feel safe without her mask. She said masks were “a good idea in general to keep people healthy”.