Another method of catfishing is mask fishing. What is mask fishing? It’s when you look “better” wearing a mask than you would without it. Some people quiz their followers on whether their masks conceal any features they might find unattractive. Others claim in videos that the top half of their faces don’t match the bottom, or that their masks hide a lot of their acne.
Some people experience self-consciousness regarding their appearance. With a mask on, they may feel as though they appear more attractive while also giving the impression that they are fooling anyone they come into direct contact with.
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What Is Mask Fishing?
For the uninitiated, one dictionary defines mask fishing as: “the situation in which someone’s face-mask appearance makes them seem more attractive.”
When users would show their viewers how they appeared with a face mask on and how they appeared without one, they coined the phrase and asked: “Am I mask fishing?”
The decision would then be left to the audience: if they appear better with the mask on, they are a mask fisher; if not, or if they don’t appear as you would expect them to, they are not.
Mask Fishing: Where Did It Come From?
Mask Fishing plays off the phrase “catfishing,” which refers to using a false identity online. The use of a face mask for mask fishing allows one to present a false identity when in person.
During the height of the pandemic, the social media platform TikTok is where the slang term first appeared. Are you mask fishing, young people wonder.’ whilst filming themselves with a face covering and proceeding to remove it to do a full face reveal.
Some people maintain their face masks in some of the videos as a joke. They claim to be aware of their “mask fisher” status.
However, mask fishing can happen accidentally while catfishing is typically done on purpose. For health and safety precautions against viruses and ongoing Covid-19 infections, a lot of people continue to cover their faces.
When worn as a cozy shield or for aesthetic reasons, mask fishing can be intentional. Masks can hide imperfections and any cosmetic errors that young people are more conscious of doing in front of peers. Others have grown accustomed to matching the color of their clothing to their masks as a fashion statement over the course of the pandemic.
Is Mask Fishing Worsening Insecurities?
Many people have become self-conscious about their facial features and “imperfections” as a result of remarks like “You look different than what I thought” and “I would’ve never guessed that your bottom half looked like that”.
“My coworkers used to comment on how I didn’t look like they had expected when they saw me during lunch or a break when I was at work, but I’m not sure if they meant it in a good or bad way. Since then, I’ve become extremely self-conscious whenever people see my face because I don’t want to disappoint their expectations, according to a Reddit post.
Not only masks have been associated with insecurity and problems with one’s self-image. Zoom fatigue has been discovered to affect women more severely; one of the main causes, according to researchers, is “self-focused attention,” which occurs when people are watching themselves on video calls.
It’s the most recent of the numerous confusing dating terms that have entered our lives as a result of the pandemic. Although insecurities have always existed, the most recent mask fishing craze may have unnecessarily hooked, line, and sinker us all.
On A Dating Profile, Should I Conceal My Identity?
Some people view mask fishing as a joke, while others take it very seriously. Online dating is still widely used despite the large number of people who have been quarantined. Throughout the pandemic, people have used these apps to communicate with others even when they don’t feel comfortable meeting in person. However, the topic of mask wear has generated a lot of conversation there.
Some people assume, among other things, that those who don’t wear masks, don’t mention having received a COVID vaccination, or don’t mention meeting up safely in their bios don’t care about the pandemic. When trying to meet someone new and wearing a mask is a sign of where someone falls in those broad categories, it has increasingly become a political or human rights issue for many people.
Your personal judgment will determine whether or not you should use a mask in your dating profile. Although you should be aware that many people will make assumptions about you as a result. Many people post multiple selfies, only one or two of which feature the mask, in an effort to prevent “mask fishing.”
Conclusion
When someone appears more attractive while wearing a face mask than when they are not wearing one, this is known as “mask fishing.”
The term “catfishing” is a reference to the practice of fabricating an online persona or identity using images that are not your own.
“Where a person seems more attractive because they are wearing a face mask, according to an Urban Dictionary definition. “One more defines a mass fishing as “someone who looks really good based on their eyes and other visible features, until they take their mask off,” which is essentially the same as a catfish.