Stop calling it 'The Mask'

[mylittleyumyum]

It is not a movie, or a culture, or a religious garment.

"People who do not wear the mask"

It sounds ridiculous.

A mask. Masks. Face coverings. Not "The Mask".

Pah.

It's like wearing " a nude lip"

I haven’t heard one person say they mask

I know it was a typo, @Sunflowerlover20, but I can imagine people starting to say I mask rather than I wear a mask. There will be threads complaining about it, I'm sure!

Well spotted.

I suspect 'the' is because it's a phenomenon, a new thing that's suddenly ubiquitous. And it's mandated, so perhaps using the definite article is a way of acknowledging reluctant submission. It has a whole lot of associations and implications, like the veil. It gives it a sort of personality, in this case possibly malign.

And it's something people wouldn't normally wear, unlike jackets.

Funny, though, how it doesn't work when applied to school uniform. 'I refuse to wear the beret and the ridiculous tie '- would anyone say that? The gymslip is no longer in fashion though.

We might say 'The mini skirt is making a comeback' but we wouldn't say 'She's going out in the mini skirt' unless she had previously been talking about that or perhaps shorts and the speaker was referring to a specific garment in her wardrobe. We wouldn't have said that even when the miniskirt suddenly became the height of fashion.

But 'She wears the trousers in that house...' Because 'the trousers' is syencdoche, representing a whole set of beliefs and power structure. (And misogyny to boot.)

It's an interesting linguistic use. Thanks for alerting us. I'll listen out for it.

*synecdoche

Please say a bit more about why the use really annoys you. Do you think the speaker is making too much of wearing it, or boasting, or mocking it, or what?

I've not heard people saying "the mask", only "a mask" or possibly "my mask". But also, most people I know have stocked up on loads of pretty ones in different fabrics so maybe if you have more than one it's not "the" mask anymore.

I have stashed them in the car/my purse etc - we have a basket of them by the front door as well and some hanging on the doorknob as we keep forgetting them. I've also put one in each of the reusable bags we use for shopping.

Oh I take it back - I did hear someone say at the door of the shop the other day "whoops, forgot the mask!" as he pulled it up over his nose (it was around his chin). But that didn't seem that offensive to my ears so I didn't give it a second thought.

@JacobReesMogadishu

Saying the Asda depending on context works eg I'm going to the Asda at xxxx rather than the Sainsbury's at yyyy. Perhaps it's regional though.

Never heard the mask said but have heard the bloody mask (or worse)

@WagnersFourthSymphony

*synecdoche

Please say a bit more about why the use really annoys you. Do you think the speaker is making too much of wearing it, or boasting, or mocking it, or what?

Thanks, you've put it all so much more eloquently than I could have.

I guess it doesn't so much annoy me as jar when I see it. I don't know what people's reasons for using it are, and I feel it will slip into daily usage without question.

Is anyone else finding this thread hilarious? I've got tears from laughing so much
If I hear anyone irl say 'the mask' or 'masking up' I'll just burst out laughing and embarrass myself

I haven't heard anyone refer to "The Mask" is it a thing?

Often called ‘the sodding mask’ in this house, when we’ve gone out and had to come back 2 minutes later because we’ve forgotten the sodding mask.

You do get jackets referred to as "The Jacket" though - generally by fashion magazines/blogs. It attaches extra significance to it - this isnt just a jacket to keep you warm, no. This is The Jacket that everyone is wearing this season, distinguished perhaps by having strangely shaped lapels. See also "The dress" rather than "a spotty oversized thing made by Zara".

At work I say I'm going to Glove Up, Mask Up ,Stick my Pinny On and Wrestle on My Visor .

I don't care if it's not MN appropriate , I have to sweat in the darn things .

And scrubs . Which leave a ince sweaty bum mark on my chair .
TMI there

ince= nice obvs

Does it bloody matter if it's 'a' or 'the'? Just get on with wearing it and stop finding new complaints, FFS.

@mylittleyumyum - I've noticed this too, it's interesting, isn't it?

@WagnersFourthSymphony - thank you, I enjoyed your post!

Pales in comparison to “face nappy”.

And the advert on the thread page is for a mask. You can get a "The Mask" mask now. Just saying.

Anyway I refer to them is oh bugger I've forgotten the damned thing again. Does that help?

@ReggieCat

Does it bloody matter if it's 'a' or 'the'? Just get on with wearing it and stop finding new complaints, FFS.

Yes, it does matter. It's on Fundamental Importance to me.

As for "get on with wearing it", surely you mean "wearing one"?

*of

It's known affectionately to me as 'my fucking mask'

OP @mylittleyumyum I actually know what you mean and agree. I don't like "the mask" because I think it's just weird and not necessary. The definite article isn't needed.

Similarly I don't like the use of

'Rona (as in 'he's probably got the rona lol ' it's way too trivial )
Corona Virus (why the separation? why the capitals?)

it's all unnecessary and downgrades language - it puts a weird distance from something that's actually quite scary and should remain as such.

The Mask of Gloom.

The life saver!

Hands - face - space - trace - ace!