Ugly Mask Update

[attackfish]

Allergy Face Mask by ~Attackfish on deviantART


Not only was the mask I talked about in my previous entry ugly, it was really uncomfortable.  It had a seem right under my chin that rubbed all the skin off, and the elastic irritated some old scar tissue of mine behind my ears. So I bought a bundle of cotton fabric, nylon thread, and some cheap beads, and made this instead. It holds the same carbon filter as the mask I bought, and I cannibalized pieces of that mask, such as the metal nose piece and the buckles for the ear straps, for this one.

I'd like to thank penguin_attie for suggesting I make my own mask. It's the perfect solution. I didn't like the idea of hiding my assistive equipment for a number of ideological reasons, but the other mask was ugly, and kind of frightening (and uncomfortable) so now I still have my visible assistive device, and it gets to be pretty too.

Comments

[amyraine.livejournal.com]

That is gorgeous. I don't know how much of a market there is for pretty assistive equipment but I know I'd buy that. Maybe you should go into business.

Some time ago I had a discussion on an unrelated blog about the illegality of face covering in most areas due to scares over secret terrorists and the like. We weren't talking about people with medical needs, we were discussing those who wore face covers for religious reasons, but do you ever get problems from police, security, store managers etc. over your mask?

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

I deeply dislike sewing, and find it extremely frustrating, but I wish somebody else would go into business doing it.

Campus police at my college are a relatively liberal bunch, especially for cops, and I made sure they knew me because of my seizures, and I brought them all homemade cookies last time I had a seizure and they got me an ambulance, so no problems there. Most of the time, I come off as odd rather than threatening, because I'm white, blonde, under 5 feet and frequently on oxygen, but I've had store personnel and the like tell me that if I'm sick, I should leave, and treat me like a plague carrier. Explaining that genetic diseases aren't contagious, and that it's me catching something from them, or reacting to an allergen that is the concern tends to go over like a lead balloon.

And I have to wear it in airports and on planes. Airports are hell for me for many reasons, but the people convinced I'm going to blow up a plane are definitely high up there. Actually, whoever thinks a terrorist would cover their face for that kind of thing has clearly not thought it through. Covering your face gets you noticed and remembered too quickly.

[penguin-attie.livejournal.com]

Wow, it turned out great! \o/
Too bad you don't like sewing, you're really good at it!

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really really not. Sewing machines blow up when I look at them. This is way simpler than it looks.

[penguin-attie.livejournal.com]

Well, I never do any sewing myself, so I really can't judge. (Sewing machines scare the crap out of me!) But it looks very neat to me! Did you sew it on a machine or by hand then?

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Hand. I used the original as a pattern and just folded the hems over as I went.

[danceswithwaves.livejournal.com]

Looks awesome!

[luunyscarlet.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is beautiful!

[unjapanologist.livejournal.com]

Cool!

Obvious suggestion is obvious: an equalist mask next time?

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Thanks! For the first time in my life, I've been getting complements on an asistive device from strangers on the street. I'm really happy with it.

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Would it be horrible to say I seriously thought about doing this?

[unjapanologist.livejournal.com]

No, why would it be?

Maybe if you made an Amon mask...

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I posted that before I wanted, and when I tried to go back in and edit, you had already replied. What I wanted to say though has actually become slightly more relevent to the conversation, remarkably, however:

"Would it be horrible to say I seriously thought aboutmaking an Equalist mask? But then someone on campus could recognise it and claim I was just making a fashon statement, and shouldn't be allowed to wear it.

The Equalists are basically the Avatar world's version of fanatical, terrorist disability rights activists, which is why it annoys me so much when people are like "Amon has a point, equality is good!" Of course he has a point. In the real world, almost everyone willing to do monsterous things does. Hitler had a point about how the rest of the world screwed Germany after WWI. Osama bin Laden had a point about how the US has really done some damage in the Middle East. The solution to society oppressing people with disabilities isn't to go around chopping people's legs off, it's to change how society treats people without legs."


Also, I have no idea how to do paper mache, and I'm allergic to most glues and binders.

[unjapanologist.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah. That's a whole lot of extra complication to carry around on your face.

I wonder if there are many people who actually think that Amon does not just have a point, but that what he's doing is good. I get "yay I'm Team Amon" on a fannish level, because the character is fun and interesting, and his underlings are fun and interesting. (MORE LIEUTENANT PLEASE.) But does fannish liking also mean that people agree with what he does?

Related on an interesting terminology level alone, but I just read this article about the Church of England not liking gay marriage (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/12/gay-marriage-anglican-church-warning) in which a bishop does a really weird thing with the words "equality" (which in this discussion would be "have society treat benders and non-benders equally) and "uniformity" ("take away everybody's bending to create equality"). He says he's okay with civil partnerships for gay couples to create "equality", but that allowing gay marriage would mean substituting "uniformity" for "equality" and somehow deny people their right to be different (?).

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

I really hope not, but I came out of Harry Potter fandom, where there were plenty of people who thought Voldemort just needed a hug, so I don't doubt the possibility.

One of the things I find most intersting about him is that he has a point, and believes in what he's doing, and because he has a point, his followers honestly mean well. What an awesome villain, not just in general, but for a children's show. Children should see things like that.

However much I disagree with him in this instance (part of equality is symbolic and cultural equality, and the ability to say to your family and community "we're getting married" and besides, having gay marriage thakes nothing away from straight marriage) I like his linguistic point. This is it exactly.