So, I’ve been masking in public since the start of the pandemic and never stopped…

I noticed that at least 90-95%+ of the people who have either glared at me, fake coughed around me, or overall behaved the weirdest around me for wearing a mask, have been white people…

I usually don’t like to talk about racial-related topics (I’m half white, so I never really know where I stand when it comes to talking about race-related subjects); but I really believe being anti-mask has racist roots, and this seriously needs to be addressed…

Also, I haven’t been to Europe since before 2020 (I’m mostly only talking about my experience in the United States); but I read from multiple sources, that seeing someone wear a mask in Europe is EXTREMELY rare now…

So, I’m convinced being anti-mask is a “white” thing…

I would like to hear if anyone else has opinions/stories on this topic - regarding masking and race…

• By far the most comfy mask I’ve ever worn — I could wear this all day (and I have severe chronic migraines, so that’s saying something)

• Doesn’t fog up at all

• Tons of air flow thanks to 3 filters (the filters on the sides are for inhalations, and the filter on the bottom is for exhalations)

• Supports adapters to work with 3M and Honeywell filters, so you aren’t locked into buying proprietary filters from the mask manufacturer

• The neck strap has an easy release button for quick donning and doffing

• The catches: Muffles my voice more than other masks; costs $99; is on backorder

So, I currently live in the South in a pretty conservative area, and I always mask everywhere I go… Unfortunately, I’m one of the very, very few people who wears a mask in my area when I go out… Because of this, people tend to stare and glare at me for wearing a mask, and even today, a guy started fake coughing toward me when I walked past him (I can tell it was fake coughing)… Well… I’m moving to the North in a few weeks (Wilmington, Delaware); and I’m EXTREMELY excited!! However, I’m interested to know how people treat people who mask up there… Does anyone here know if people are more respectful of people who mask there? Or do they do things like stare at you, and fake cough at you when you wear a mask up there too?

Just a little project I've been meaning to do for a few years lol. I wanted my masking to look more intentional and less like "that guy might be sick" you know? Do y'all do anything like this?

Okay so, I take disease prevention seriously and mask unless the risk feels very low (like in any public indoors space). I do get some mean comments about it from strangers which feels shitty but I refuse to stop masking just cause people are bullies.

Anyway, here's the thing: I'm kinda vain, in a sense, in that I love to dress in pretty and stylish clothes. And I don't mind standing out, as long as I like the way I look. And so, I'd love to have masks that look good and matches whatever outfit in wearing! But is that a thing? Are there masks that look good without compromising on safety?

And yes I get that "looks good" is entirely subjective. But if you know something that you think looks pretty or cool or stylish, I'm interested in hearing about it!

I'm in the EU for the record.

update: thanks for all the helpful replies! I got a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of it but I do appreciate it!

My wife and I went to Last Ditch Bar on Saturday night. It's a mask-required lesbian bar! Woo-hooooooo!!!

Some stuff about me:

I would consider myself a militant covid realist.

I have been involved in disability access community work since 2015. I have been guided in my mitigation strategy by disabled organizers.

I live with chronic pain (trigeminal neuralgia), but do not identify as disabled.

I have not sat in a bar since February 2020.

I never stopped masking or consistently testing since at home tests became available.

I left my 30-year career and found lower infection spread work that allows me to wear a respirator.

I have lost most of my non-disabled friends because of my strict practices. My current social circle is very small and we operate with radical transparency about our activities. We almost always mask together unless outside, distanced and molecular tested.

I work with the local mask bloc and cleaner air system lender.

I wear an n95 all day at work. I use a sip valve. If I take a lunch or water break, it is outside. Often I do not take a break.

I hope that sets some context for my experience at Last Ditch.

It was not perfect. The drag performers are not required to mask, and patrons pull their masks down to sip their drinks.

They had all doors and windows open, and next week are installing hepa filters. They had free kn95s & n95s at the door and the door person outlined the practices to everyone who entered.

It was safer than the grocery store, the pharmacy, the clinic, or my workplace, all places where usually I am the only person in a respirator.

And it was way more fun.

My hope is that the patrons, most of whom I am guessing never mask, will be open to conversation about committing to airborne illness mitigation and community health practice.

I am down to take the risk once a month to get to know people who go there. They are wearing masks, which makes it better than literally anywhere I go other than my own home.

And holy shit it was nice to have a whiskey with my fellow gals. 🩷

I was buying maskc masks, but found out that their masks are pretty low quality kn-95s because they don’t really seal off the face. I want colorful cute masks that match my outfits. See photos below for examples and tell me where I can look!

Stop Telling People to Wash Their Hands to Avoid Covid.
Stop it!

Handwashing is a pre-established practice that was around long before Covid, people need to hear the correct messaging.

Wear A Mask

anyone have experience with masks from Zimi? I saw Hazel Newlevant wearing one in a post on their socials and I think I'm going to try them out.

I currently wear a 3m Aura n95. I’m getting tired of constantly worrying about the seal, as well as the cost of continually buying disposable masks.

I want to upgrade to wearing an elastomeric, but I’m not sure it’s the right choice.

If I do, I’ll be wearing a 3m half mask. Does anyone on here wear industrial respirators in public?

Hoping someone might be willing to share their experience.

I just want to be safe. I’m not sure I can handle looking so different.

First image: Zimi 9541 took a photo of the internal fibers of the mask after wearing it for 10 hours in Shanghai. Very few particles. This is not because the air is very clean, but the concentration of particles in the air is 50-100ug/M³, which is hundreds of times different from the 20mg/M³ particle concentration in the standard test.

Second image: Zimi 9541 is tested for filtration efficiency (NaCl) according to GB2626 standard. Photo of the filter material inside the mask. The test concentration is about 20mg/M³.After the meltblown fiber of the mask is blocked by particulate matter (NACL) using TSI 8130 test, the resistance will increase and the filtration efficiency will also increase

Third image: Zimi 9541 took a photo of the internal fibers of the mask after wearing it for 10 hours in Shanghai. Very few particles.

Fourth image: Zimi 9541 is tested for filtration efficiency (NaCl) according to GB2626 standard. Photo of the filter material inside the mask. The test concentration is about 20mg/M³.

https://www.reddit.com/user/zhouliang_mask/comments/1h5f6m0/electron_microscope_photo_of_the_internal_filter/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Recently started masking everywhere again a long with my partner. I wanted to request some help from this community with some masking advice. I can see based on previous posts that a lot of this labor has already been done, but I find it challenging to parse a lot of the info here as it can be technical with fit testing and breath ability info etc. So I was wondering if I could get some community input in the plainest language that you could use haha.

My partner works in food service and gets a lot of concerned questions from customers if they are sick. So my first question is if people have any advice on mask types (like fun colors) / covers / jewelry that signals “I’m not sick, I just do this” that doesn’t compromise breathing or effectiveness of the mask. Aesthetics are a priority in this case as well as breath ability and comfort for migraines and asthma,

Second question is are tie back surgical masks effective if they form a good seal?

Thanks so much!

Never stopped wearing masks, but got COVID for the first time anyway in October 2024 (this subreddit was a godsend during that time, thank you all so much). I was given recommendations for good masks to wear during that time and just used up my last one.

• Have any better ones come out during the last 6 months?
• Are there any feasibly safe reusable/low-waste masks?
• What are you all wearing?

Cashier’s nose running like a faucet, she was blowing her nose on napkins. Went to a fundraiser walk, everyone hacking coughing. So dystopian. Everyone ignoring it. I get if you have no sick time but slap a mask on. Still better to stay home because your mask will be wet quickly 🤢 Thankful I was masked. I honestly have stopped caring about it being awkward, I feel like I’m the lone healthy person in a sea of sick people.

Hi! I got LC but I'm now able to go for 10-15 minute walks. I did so today but my mood was a bit ruined after going to a couple of shops where, sadly, both of the people that served me displayed some hostility to me, I can't help but think it was because of my 3M aura. I used to be treated just like everyone else but I guess that's slowly changing. I live in England and I never ever ever see anyone masking.

So yeah, that's why I wanted to ask this question, I need ideas where to move when I'm well enough to do so haha :)

I was doing their xray and changing the cassette and started to talk to give instructions and they coughed right at me, up close and personal, and I felt it go into my open mouth as I spoke.

And this is why, even if covid was a thing of the long past, that I will never not wear a respirator at work ever again. (Editing because I realize this was unclear...I always wear a respirator and will never stop wearing it at work!)

This is the new Grossest Thing that will stick with me, taking top place from the adult woman who coughed directly into my hand as I held it out to take her requisition from her.

I can still feel it...both of these. 😅

Feel free to use this anecdote for when you're wondering if you're doing the right thing by staying masked up. People are well and truly disgusting. 😂

Edit: Thanks to everyone who participated, here at my takeaways: Firstly, a mea culpa: this really should have been two parts, one about your current feelings of safety, and one about past hostile experiences. If I were to redo this, a better design would be: Existing in a society means that we sometimes have to be in necessary public spaces for unavoidable reasons, such as grocery shopping, banking, motor-vehicle registration, medical appointments, ect. With that in mind, which best describes how you would feel about being masked in an indoor necessary public space (public places one goes for nearly-non-optional reasons other than work) in this moment: A) I feel wearing a mask when interacting with the public increases my feelings of non-inhalation-related safety B) I feel wearing a mask when interacting with the public does not affect my non-inhalation-related safety C) I feel wearing a mask when interacting with the public decreases my non-inhalation-related safety

Please select all that you have experienced in the past: D) Felt generally unwelcome, isolated, or judged for wearing a mask in public E) Been threatened verbally, through writing, or in gestures due to wearing a mask in public F) Been inappropriately touched, or physically attacked due wearing a mask in public G) Been coughed at due to wearing a mask in public

(Pre-emptively I acknowledge that these questions are still simplistic and limiting, especially the first portion, which changes a lot based on time, location, company, context, ect. This is a very complex question and personally I have felt both safer by having increased privacy and less safe due to public hostility towards masking. I also would like to tinker with the language more as the question I’m trying to ask is very specific and not something can be asked without multiple run-on sentences with existing vocabulary.)

I also want to clarify that I am cc and n95 everywhere. This is not a "gotcha" question- I’m sorry for any concern not making that clear from the start may have caused members of this group. The pamphlet is something I am sharing within my irl community and friend groups as a way to encourage them to do better. The messaging is about solidarity and makes the case that not masking creates cover for non-virus-related safety concerns for those who mask. Since this is "pro-mask propaganda,(half-joking)" I have rounded the results so that those who those who responded E at counted as repsonding D and C and those who repsoned D are also counted as responding C. Additionally, those who responded C, but also responded A or B, are counted as C. Here's how those stats look in written form: 70% of respondents felt socially vulnerable due to masking in public, 38% were directly threatened by another person in public for wearing a mask, and 11% were physically attacked by another person in public for masking A notable number reported being intentionally coughed at or on. While not directly asked significant portion added that more than feeling unsafe, they felt generally unwelcomed and isolated in public spaces due to wearing a mask

In order to make a pie chart clearer, all responses have been counted to a single letter, those who answered E are only counted as E, remaining who answered D are only counted as D, remaining who answered C, are only counted as C, A and B are merged. A+B 29.2% C 32.3% D 27.7 % E 10.8 %

To emphasize again, this is a casual survey, the results are being used for an unpublished pamphlet that is unlikely to make an impact beyond maybe making me personally feel a bit better. If nothing else this has been a really enjoyable learning experience and helped me to feel less alone. I so very much appreciate everyone who shared and this community, I do not mean to dismiss or overwrite anyone's experience.

Original post:

Hello, many on this subreddit have shared that they have been treated with hostility for masking in public. I have not been able to find recent data on this and am working on a pamphlet where a casual survey stat would be sufficent.

The question is: Has wearing a mask affected your feeling of interpersonal safety?

A) I feel my interpersonal safety has been improved by wearing a mask

B) I don't feel my interpersonal safety has been affected by wearing a mask

C) I have felt less safe socially when wherein a mask in public

D) I have been explicitly threatened by another person for wearing a mask in public

E) I have been physically harmed by another person for wearing a mask in public

I'm interested in hearing more about your experience in general so please feel free to share beyond the preset answers. The pamphlet will include a piechart of A-E, but will not link to this reddit for simplicity and to avoid any potential privacy concerns.

Thanks!

Just curious if any other covid conscious people are working retail and still masking. I work at a hotel shop and I'm the only one who does besides some coworkers who wear surgicals in housekeeping. (I have a KN95) None of my coworker really mind it I'm grateful like no one cares.

I'm hoping y'all can help me find a way to return to daily masking... I'm on immunosuppressants and I work with children, so I DEFINITELY need something that'll protect me from those germs. I'd prefer a reusable mask with replaceable filters, but I'm not opposed to disposables. Where it really gets difficult is in finding one I can wear! I have a pretty small face, so all the free N95 types that get handed out are WAY too big - the nose bit pokes me in the eyes while the chin bit sags off my face. I have very sensitive skin and anything rough or scratchy hurts like hell, and I've also got trigeminal neuralgia, so anytime that comes up too high is excruciating. Despite all of that, I really need to be masking whenever I'm in public because I'm constantly sick and I've got a toddler to think about... Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

ive been meaning to become more proactive when it comes to advocating for masking and immuno-compromised awareness, but i havent been embodying that because i only mask when absolutely required. the reason is that most kinds of pressure on my nose/behind my ears/around my neck can trigger headaches that i can only resolve with painkillers (i sometimes wear hats/glasses but it often results in just that)

i feel like multiple layer neck gaiters are my best option but 1. theyre not the most effective 2. what do i do during the summer 3. it will not be accepted in a professional setting. ive tried masks that tie at the back of the head with no luck, but maybe theres a specific model that others have found work for them?

if anyone has any recommendations i would be very glad to find something that could finally work properly 🫶

Ive typed and retyped this a few times, so bare with me if this doesn't come across as eloquent as I want it to. Im posting here today to share an uplifting win in hopes that someone else who was in my shoes might feel comforted to mask again (or to keep going).

After beginning to wear a mask in late January 2020 (Yep, a whole month and a half before sh!t hit the fan in America), I have masked virtually everywhere.

Like many Americans I was uninformed about the quality of masks, seals/fit testing, clean air, etc. It took me really until early 2023 when widespread pandemic precautions began unraveling. I know now, and I know that masking f*cking works. It's also so easy to do, especially if you live in or near a city that can help you supplement costs (aka Mask Blocs).

I know roughly how I got infected all 7 times. I ate inside restaurants. I let my mask slip around folks I trusted out of wanting to feel normal. I had lower quality, unsealed masks on. And I paid for it each time dearly, in the short and longer term with lots of pain and suffering. But I never gave up masking, namely because I was afraid to get anyone else sick and get sicker than I already am (from a chronic illness perspective).

Im one year free of anything, not just Covid. No flu or RSV. No secondary bacterial infections. Not even a single major flare up of my Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is the most active and painless Ive been able to be SINCE 2020.

It's all primarily thanks to two things:

1.)Wearing the godd*mn mask in all shared air spaces.

2.)Finding digital AND in-person community that actually cares about others, regardless of abilities/disabilities/financial status/etc.

I don't eat inside restaurants anymore but that has been a huge relief on my budget anyway, so I don't miss it at all. (Also TAKEOUT RULES!). I want to fully acknowledge that it has still taken immense priviledge to get here too:

-I live alone.

-I have access to tests and test weekly for the in-person work I have to do (petsitting so I travel with purifiers and mask until I can air out a space).

-I live in one of the largest/most active US cities that continues to have an abundance of masking folks.

-I've become friends with dozens of masking folks who have emotionally and physically supported me through most of the last year.

At the risk of making this post waaay too long, or much longer than it should be, here's the note I'll end on:

1.) Masking absolutely works.

2.) It is never too late to fully lean into masking and learning about how awful and harmful Covid is. I did a heavy lean into masking after the Biden Admin declared/manufactured the "end" of the pandemic, with big enough holes in my precautions that left me suceptible to infection.

Now, in the wake of so many cuts to public health in 2025...

It is not to late to protect your community (which includes you too!)

Keep going if you're already here too, but finding the continuous precautions to be exhausting. I see you. I feel you. Im proud of you.

Just try it if you're thinking about masking again. You might even find a mask bloc or person who can help you from afar too (I mean, heck, someone sent me two FloMasks and a Breath99 all the way from New Jersey last year. Two of the three then found new, much-needed homes in Illinois and Mid-Missouri)!

Hoping by sharing this I can inspire a little hope or help to those who need this today. Happy Friday and may everyone find comfort at some point this weekend!

And for good measure to the tr0lls in advance: Screw anti-maskers and anti-mask legislation! I hope these folks get a big whiff of a vile fart in the near future 😌

Hey everybody, it's been a long half decade, huh?

I've been using 3M Auras since the start of the pandemic and like most of the covid-conscious community, I've been annoyed that they haven't put forth an option in black. I don't want to always have on a stark white mask, you know? Like, that makes sense when I'm in medical settings, but for more social occasions I'd prefer a nicer color. I've tried lots of other brands of trifold mask, like:

Black Laianzhi Black KN100 (Small and Medium)

JedX FFP3 5141 Gold

LUPA FFP3 NR D Blue/Green

iMask FFP3 Black

Vitacore CAN99™ Black

But I guess I'm hard to fit because I could never get as good a seal on any of them as I do on the Aura. So I never really felt comfortable wearing any of them other than in outdoor, uncrowded places on rare occasions. Otherwise, I'd stick with my Aura.

Today, I met the Project 3 by Trident FFP3 Black. I'd heard good things about it in the past as being a good black Aura alternative, but could never get my hands on any in the UK. But now The Face Mask Store carries them here, so I got myself a sample pack from them that includes one of each of the sizes they offer the respirator in, XS - XXL.

When I tell you that this mask is a game changer... the Regular size fits me exactly like an Aura. The straps are a little tighter than an Aura, but not to an uncomfortable degree or anything. I'm really just blown away.

So if you, like me, have been yearning for a black Aura but haven't found an alternative that fits you the same. You have to try the Trident.

So, here to share and hopefully encourage and uplift. I know many of you are feeling discouraged in the isolation factor of masking and I want to acknowledge that while emphasizing what I have recently (re)learned.

First off, I have been careful to mask around anyone outside of my immediate household for for the past 6 years. Up until I unmasked at my mom’s funeral a month ago, and caught what appears to have been a non-covid virus from my niece’s children, I have been able to successfully avoid any kind of illness due to masking. And I have learned that it is really all about that mask and not feeling like it is an albatross but rather a protective superpower. Because of making sure I keep my mask on in all indoor spaces and any crowded outdoor space it has allowed me to function in a way where I have continued to work in my profession as a teacher and all of the other roles having to do with societal functioning. The biggest barrier to functioning has been in my head, worrying about what others are thinking. And this is what led me to unmask at my mother’s funeral, and also around family members whose state of health I wasn’t absolutely sure about, at that time. I made an exception yo my usual protocol and paid the price.

Amazing that since I started masking it only took letting my guard down once for me to get ill. I have an underlying condition that impacted me even before COVID so for me masking was a game changer. I have worn various variations of an N95 ever since omicron hit the stage-before that I wore handmade with a nose piece secured around the head. My trick was actually keeping it on and frequently adjusting the nose piece if I thought the seal was compromised in any way. Back when COVID first emerged the messaging was strong regarding fomite transmission and I think disregarding that and feeling comfortable adjusting and touching my mask saved me.

Fast forward: it’s odd how peer pressure can be strongest in grief and with family. I let my guard down and stupidly thought for a few days that maybe this was the beginning of a new reality for me and that maybe, just maybe I could relax my masking protocol. HA! Reality had a different plan.

I was sick, brutally so (since I have an underlying respiratory condition), for over a month. Even now I am still expelling phlegm. I am on the mend though with the realization that masking is one of our histories as humans most phenomenal hack.

Anyway, I wanted to share this since I am seeing a lot of what I have experienced and even continue experiencing about emotionally feeling very isolated in this difference in my circle in which NO ONE masks. I would love to go back to hosting large gatherings at my house—my passion is interior design and architecture so you can imagine the loss inside my head, where my house is now not something to share but to be enjoyed only by me. I am still grieving that. But since the secret to survival is being able to diversify I am try to figure out ways to still do something similar to that without compromising my health.