Book Female Masking

Research Into A Subculture

Jella Lena van Eck

Man & Communication

Female Masking

Design Academy Eindhoven 2014

FEM ALE MAS KING

Subculture of Female Masking / Rubber Dolling

INDEX 3

Behind the Mask

Symbolic

7

63

-

16

-

70

Materials and Colour

Context

17

71

-

36

-

76

Visual Language

Interview

37

77

-

50

-

84

Analysis Pictures

Bibliography

51

85

-

62

-

90 4

Introduction Female maskers, also known as ‘dolls’, are a hidden community of ordinary men who lead extraordinary lives, dressing up in elaborate rubber suits as they strive to become their own ideal fantasy woman. There are thousands of female maskers all over the world, but most have kept their secret behind closed doors sometimes even for their families.

Female maskers are men who dress up in complex rubber suits to turn themselves into living dolls. Unlike other shaded subcultures, this has less to do with fetish and is centred more on expression of beauty.

The ‘dolls’ are extremely passionate and take immense pride in this all-consuming hobby, but for most of them it has been a side kept hidden.

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BEHIND THE MASK 7

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Behind the Mask Subculture explained

Meet the ‘female maskers’. They’re just ordinary men living their bog-standard lives, but with a twist: in their spare time they squeeze into elaborate rubber suits to live secret lives as their very own fantasy woman.

Unlike transgender people, maskers do not identify with a different sex. For them, dressing up as women is a way to escape, express the more feminine parts of their personality, or just to have fun. This group is for those who love wearing female masks, dressing as a doll and like wearing latex.

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behind the mask

What Men Find Behind Female Masks

By The Atlantic, by Luke Malone

Inside the increasingly common practice—and business— of female masking.

Julie, an immaculately made-up woman, sits down in front of a camera. She has thick, voluminous hair that frames the high cheekbones of her conspicuously crease-free face. Her elegant, arched eyebrows and extra-long eyelashes act as a counterbalance to her plump, painted lips.

She looks out of frame, as if admiring herself in a mirror, before giggling and batting her eyelids.

“Oh dear,” she purrs, tilting her head from side to side. “Another long day in a wig and a girdle.”

She reaches up and emits a light moan as she unclips her gold earrings and gently sets them aside, one by one. She considers her image a few moments longer, then places her hands just below her ears and begins to pull her blemish-free skin off and away from her jawline. It’s only now that we realize it’s not human skin, but rather a mask made of soft, flesh-like silicone rubber.

Julie is one of the most visible faces of female masking, a specific subset of cross-dressing men who wear masks, and occasionally skintone bodysuits, to make them look more like biological women. The videos that she uploads to YouTube have received hundreds of thousands of views, attracting both fans and detractors.

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“No one wants to talk about it, you don’t want to read about it, and you don’t want to hear about it. It’s just not part of polite company.”

Julie is one of the most visible faces of female masking, a specific subset of cross-dressing men who wear masks, and occasionally skin-tone bodysuits, to make them look more like biological women. The videos that she uploads to YouTube have received hundreds of thousands of views, attracting both fans and detractors.

Julie is but one of scores of maskers around the globe; the most popular masking website, Dolls Pride, has almost 10,000 active members. But, until now, the subculture has remained relatively unknown outside the tight-knit community.

Even the nation’s foremost experts on sexuality haven’t heard of masking (though it’s worth noting that the practice isn’t always sexually motivated).

“I just checked with Dr. Kaplan and neither one of us have heard this term before,” said Dr. Richard Krueger, who, with Dr. Meg Kaplan, heads up the Sexual Behavior Clinic at the New York State Psychistric Institute.”

This doesn’t surprise Kerry. At 52, he has been masking for 37 years and is considered by many to be the unofficial matriarch of the scene. He says that while there are magazines featuring maskers that date as far back as the 1930s, the practice has existed largely on the fringe of society.

“I’ve got a fetish book from the 1940s and ‘50s of people doing female masking back then, so by no means did we invent anything,” he said. “Our grandparents were doing this.”

He explains that masking first entered his consciousness when he saw an episode of Mission: Impossible in 1970—there were 10 episodes between 1969 and 1973 that saw actresses Lynda Day George, Lesley Ann Warren, and Barbara Bain wearing masks to impersonate other characters. Intrigued by the idea of transformation, Kerry would sit and look at his third-grade teacher in amazement, wondering what it would be like if her face were a mask.

“She was blonde and she had low-cut dresses for the 1970s, and I’d sort of think if she was wearing a mask it would have to extend all the way down her neck,” he said.

“And I remember having that thought, if her head was a mask she’d have to have it going all the way down into her dress.”

Wearing a mask offered Kerry the chance to recreate himself and become someone who didn’t care what others thought.

Seven years later at 15, he began experimenting himself. He scoured local costume shops and found two relatively simple masks that he customized to fit his needs. He says he was insecure growing up and that wearing a mask offered him the chance to recreate himself and become someone who didn’t care what others thought.

“It’d be one thing to disguise myself as a guy, but I’d still be a guy,” he said. “But if I could disguise myself as a woman that would be a total transformation.”

It soon became sexual and he would retreat to his room, put on a mask and masturbate. He says it wasn’t the idea of womanhood that aroused him; it was the masks themselves. “I mostly did think about masks when I was masturbating,” he said. “I never masturbated over naked girls in Playboy or anything like that.”

Still, for Kerry, the guilt that can surround teenage sexuality was compounded by the sense that his preference was extremely unusual. “I thought that I’ve got to be the only person on the planet that has these feelings and these interests,” he said. It wasn’t until the birth of the Internet two decades later that he discovered there was a thriving community of men who also enjoyed wearing female masks— which offered him both solace and an exciting business opportunity.

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behind the mask

There hadn’t been many developments in the masking world in the intervening 20 years. The two masks Kerry wore during this period were a heavily customized Bride of Frankenstein creation and a blonde woman forever smoking a cigarette. So, disappointed by the dearth of available options, he set about making his own.

It wasn’t long before he started selling them to other maskers. His side business became so successful that he quit his day job as a printer and turned a room of his Seattle home into a masking workshop, much to the chagrin of his wife of 12 years.

“She thinks it’s weird,” he explained, adding that she steers clear of the workroom and its row upon row of female faces. “She doesn’t have anything to do with it. Once in a while she might help me with something but it’s not really her thing.”

Her response also quashed the possibility they’d incorporate masking into their sex life, which Kerry insists is a good thing. “It’s one of those things where we all sort of have fantasies, scenarios we’d like to do but I think the reality would be really, really disappointing. So probably better not to try that,” he said.

“In a way I don’t want to fetishize my wife. You know, I have sex with my wife because I love her. And I don’t want to turn her into a sex object, if that makes any sense at all. Because the mask is a fetish object, that’s the only thing it really exists for.”

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“Among cross-dressers and the like, there is often the thought that masking is a farce. That if a person were truly serious, they wouldn’t hide behind a mask.”

He believes his wife’s discomfort reflects society’s attitude toward masking, even if people know about it it’s not something they openly discuss. “A lot of people are very creeped out by the whole masking thing,” he added. “It’d be the same as talking about autoerotic asphyxiation, no one wants to talk about it, you don’t want to read about it, and you don’t want to hear about it, it’s just not part of polite company.”

But that hasn’t stopped those at the vanguard of popular culture from taking note of Kerry and his masked brethren.

Fashion photographer Steven Meisel (see photo page 16) shot women in female masks for Vogue Italia in 2012 after coming across videos online. Actress Jamie Brewer also wore a female mask during the Halloween episode of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, screen grabs of which were taken and quickly shared among members of the masking community.

These non-judgmental representations are considered a welcome departure from what’s usually on offer. Masks are a familiar trope used in horror movies to build fear around the concept of the unknown, and Silence of the Lambs took things one step further, with serial killer Buffalo Bill skinning his female victims to make a bodysuit—not entirely dissimilar to the silicone ones maskers sometimes wear. Kerry believes the association helps to demonize and further marginalize maskers, though he’s not completely humorless about it. “If I had him as a customer we would have saved all those girls lives,” he laughed.

While most maskers realize the practice is not broadly accepted, the criticism they get from others within the fetish community, as well as non-masking cross-dressers, carries a particular sting.

“It does strike me odd though that people who practice some of the most socially unacceptable behaviors can also be the most prejudiced,” said T-Vyrus, 34 “in doll years,” a self-described “drag queen, tranny, female masker” and editor of masking magazine Hot Girls. “Among cross-dressers, shemales, trannies and the like, there is often the thought that masking isn’t real, that it’s a put on, a surrogate, a farce. The thought that if a person were truly serious, they wouldn’t hide behind a mask.”

This fear of rejection is what keeps truck driver Lisa, 47, from wearing a mask in public. Like Kerry, she identifies as a heterosexual man and maintains an active “male life” during the day, but uses the female pronoun when she transforms into Lisa, his alter ego, at night. She lives with her two sisters in New Jersey, and though they are aware of what their brother gets up to behind a locked bedroom door, it’s never discussed.

She never openly masks around the house and wouldn’t think to step outside. Apart from the fact that her six-foot-two, 260-pound frame would be a dead giveaway, Lisa’s reluctance to come out is bolstered by the belief that her brother’s attempts to pass as a woman in public are what led to his drug overdose.

Lisa said she realized her brother, Mike, was interested in women’s clothing when she came home one day to find him dressed in a French maid costume.

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behind the mask

Their father had originally bought the outfit to wear on Halloween, the only time that he could openly indulge his own interest in cross-dressing—it was an open secret that all three men in the family liked to wear women’s clothes.

“It’s in our blood,” said Lisa, adding that they never spoke of it. “I come from a very hard-working, blue-collar, macho family, and it was never discussed, ever.” Her sister would often come to her to complain about missing clothing, demanding to know what had happened to it. “I told her, ‘I didn’t do it,’” she said. “And I didn’t, it was my brother!”

Mike was the most audacious, according to Lisa.

He would venture outdoors dressed in full drag, despite the fact that he was “taller and bigger” than everyone. “He’s a very big man,” she said.

“So for him to actually try to pull off looking like a woman … I hate to say it but that wasn’t going to happen.”

“I have trouble with girlfriends and it helps fill the void of not having a female around.

I create that kind of entity in myself when I don’t have that companionship.”

His bravado ended up costing him. Mike decided to come out to some friends, and it resulted, Lisa believes, in his death. “He told a few people and when they got mad at him they told everybody,” she said. “And right away, he’s a pervert, he’s a loser, he’s gay, and all that, you know?

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And I don’t think he dealt with that too well. He ended up taking drugs and ended up dying because of that.”

For her part, Lisa is content to stay indoors and speak to her masking friends online. She admits it can be lonely, but adds that her masks offer some consolation. “I have trouble with girlfriends and I think it helps fill the void of not having a female around,” she said. “I create that kind of entity in myself when I don’t have that companionship.”

She has, however, struck up a close friendship with one particular masker, and they chat three or four times a week. Though she says she’s not into it, Lisa agrees to act out the role-playing scenarios that have come to define their friendship.

“There’s one guy who calls me Mommy,” she said.

“He thinks I’m his mother. He wants to be the daughter. I kind of actually feel squeamish about the whole thing, but I feel sorry for the guy I feel bad because I don’t think he has anybody to talk to, as I really don’t either. So we keep each other company by talking to each other.”

Though Lisa has no plans to out herself in the immediate future for fear of losing what she has “on the other side of the mask,” she hopes that things will change to the point where she’ll be able to pluck up the courage to one day reveal herself. “There are senators out there doing this too, you know. Judges, police officers, every walk of life,” she said. “It’s just something that we do to pretty much escape reality sometimes.”

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MATERIAL & COLOUR 17

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Materials and Colour

From latex to typefaces

By looking at the materials and colours that are being used by the subculture I started to understand what is required to be a female masker, like the realistic looking female masks, breast prosthetics, figure hip pants and complete transformation suits out of silicon or latex. To become a female in a suit.

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materials and colour

Latex

The vital material

Latex clothing comes in a great variety of styles including latex Catsuits (all-over body suits), latex stockings, latex hoods, latex dresses, latex jeans, latex underwear, and even latex belts and braces! But what’s latex like to wear – and why do people like wearing it?

A lot of latex clothing is worn skin tight – just like a second skin – though some styles of latex clothing – such as latex jeans or latex shirts - are looser fitting, like normal fabric. It’s almost enhances the feel of your own skin. You can polish it and shine it up to a high-gloss finish. Latex clothing is made in various different thicknesses or gauges of latex, depending on the style.

Latex clothing is often worn at clubs and parties and as fancy dress – and is often worn in combination with leather boots, leather harnesses, leather masks and so on.

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materials and colour

Transparent The vital material

Latex is available in a wide range of colors and thickness, in which transparent is one of them.

Transparent latex is also available in different colors but of course also available in the natural latex color. The natural tone of latex has an amber tin color. The transparency is thrilling for many female maskers. Especially in combination with a doll-suit underneath, in which breasts can be seen.

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materials and colour

Silicone

As a luxury material

Some female masks are made from silicone.

The natural skin colour makes it look very realistic. There are holes in the nose, in the pupils and the mouth is open. The mask can be worn for hours and still be comfortable. It is thick enough to hold a shape of a face but thin enough to be able to move around.

Silicone as material feels very soft on the skin, and is very stretchy, which makes it very easy to put on and to take off.

The only disadvantage of the material is the weight; it is very heavy to wear. The strength and quality of the product also plays a role.

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materials and colour

Inflatable Suits More shape by air

Inflatable suits can be an extra resource for the ultimate female form. It can be used within a latex suit. The effect of an inflatable suit can be tremendously majestic. They are often used for shows. The creations of Sasha Frolova from Aquaaerobika are a perfect example. They achieve a wow-effect that does very well on stage, in photos, and in videos.

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materials and colour

Magazine Hot Girls THE magazine for Female Maskers

Hot Girls Magazine is THE magazine when it comes to female masking. The editor T-Vyrus makes every issue a joy to read.

Just as T-Vyrus formulates it: Hot Girls Magazine seeks to blur the lines between individual fetishes, and to influence greater mutual acceptance among all of the beautifully different people of the world.

When I wasn’t so familiar with female masking, Hot Girls Magazine taught me a lot. The beautiful photos and interviews with individuals all over the world make this magazine unique. The Covers are equally intriguing. On the next pages I will extrapolate the colors and typography of Hot Girls Magazine, to see how these beautiful covers were created.

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materials and colour

Colour Analysis of Main Magazine (Hot Girls)

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materials and colour

Hot Girls Magazine and their Typography Choices

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WINTER 2013-2014

magazine

HOT GIRLS

the Fetish Goddess

Natalia

in this issue

Hannah Noel

Francesca Celine Grey

Scare Bears Steff Doll Irene

more...

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materials and colour

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HOT GIRLS magazine

winter 2012-2013

also featuring Alice Fabian & Hot Bitch

sue

the sissy is

n i t a S i b r a B e interview exclusiv

Aliciana Bosch CENTERFOLD 36

VISUAL LANGUAGE 37

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Visual Language From Music Videos to Posters

The subculture influences other disciplines in a wide range. For music to photographs you can see materials and images being used as an inspiration for a lot of people.

Latex mask are being used for performances and fashion shoots. You can even find them inside Vogue magazine. They are more than just a tool for becoming a rubber doll. They become statements where people can react to.

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visual language

Aquaaerobika Sasha Frolova, Artist & Musican

Sasha Frolova, a Russian alternative artist from the Moscow art scene who began with conceptual performance art, decided to move into pop music with her band, Aquaaerobika.

It’s astonishing. Every part of Frolova’s body, apart from her hands and eyes, are covered in latex, and the effect is topped-off with an inflatable wig. The backing “band” play inflatable instruments, and the whole thing feels like a kind of sugar-addled adult cartoon. The plinky-plonky synth-pop music fits in better with the Russian pop landscape than it would do anywhere else, but the performances certainly made a splash.

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visual language

Nadia Lee Cohen Photographs and Rubber Dolling

London based photographer Nadia Lee’s work is an explosion of colour and emotion, using Hitchcock movies as a reference for her work, Lee’s images are certainly powerful and provocative.

The women she photographs are bold yet vulnerable, sensitive and slightly sensual, something that gives her work that extra edge.

Lee casts these unusual models along with people she scouts on the tube to add character and personality to her sublime shoots. She explores notions of femininity and gender ideas using 60’s and 70’s references with extreme close ups and harsh lighting to capture the subjects emotion and sensitivity so they become very close.

Her photos represent the strong ideal women what a lot of female maskers strive for.

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visual language

Vogue

Vogue Italia, “Face the Future”

With the constant progression of women’s psychological search about who they are and how they are perceived, one thing is for sure. Life has dictated that elegance comes in all forms and has multiple personalities. Two of the greats, none other than Steven Meisel + Gordon Von Steiner have collaborated for Vogue Italia in order to make women ‘Face the Future’. Here female masks are worn by the models of the photoshoot.

A truthful video by Gordon Von Steiner masking the interior existence behind style was filmed during Steven Meisel’s cover story for the September 2012 issue of Vogue Italia .

Elegance is present behind frigid women, the materialistic plastic socialite, the lost soul, the lonely beauty and a dark background. Any woman’s story can be hidden behind a serial personality and the true beauty of fashion fits all damaged and clear souls. ‘Face the Future’ illustrates those ugly existences that have made you who you are, which you can cover up with true Vogue. A cover up that makes you feel beautiful, powerful and much admired by all those who have created a life around you that is not yours. if only they knew.Take your past and poor elegance to make your future.

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visual language

Faceless

Exposition Faceless @ Amsterdam

This exhibition shows the trend to hide, alter or mask the face. A trend visible in art, fashion and the media since the turn of the century.

The works on show in Mediamatic ranges from avant-garde masks to pieces that force open a dialogue with facial recognition software, surveillance cameras, and drones. Themes include seduction, surveillance and privacy.

This exhibition shows a vast amount of a variety of masks. Not focused on female masking, but masks from all kinds of different scenes/disciplines.

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visual language

Judy Chicago The Artworks of Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago (born 1939) is an American feminist artist and writer known for her large collaborative art installation pieces which examine the role of women in history and culture. Born in Chicago, Illinois, as Judith Cohen, she changed her name after the death of her father and her first husband, choosing to disconnect from the idea of male dominated naming conventions. By the 1970s, Judy Chicago had coined the term “feminist art” and had founded the first feminist art program in the United States. Chicago’s work incorporates stereotypical women’s artistic skills, such as needlework, counterbalanced with stereotypical male skills such as welding and pyrotechnics. And use them in an unique way.

For an artist whose work is most often associated with feminist art and the women’s movement, Heads Up represent a collective human experience rather than any demographic specificity. While the Heads are modeled on the physiognomy of real people, in some instances it is difficult to determine the gender of the corresponding sculpture. Chicago enjoys this ambiguity, which attests to an overarching theme of the series: a common understanding of emotions that are suppressed or released.

What lies beneath the surface of the person, and that intangible uniqueness of each being which cannot be seen, is what Chicago explores here.

Glass is the ideal medium for such investigation: its transparent nature allows the viewer to reach beyond the superficial and to get inside the structure.

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ANALYSIS PICTURES 51

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Analysis Pictures

Every Masker is Different

The subculture is mostly alive online and their pictures are very important in defining their identity. Every female mask is unique.

“We all know how beautiful we feel when we wear our special skins. Some people just don’t understand the excitement we get!”

By looking at all the different pictures I started to see the little things that make them unique. LIke the make-up, different materials, the features of the masks and the eyes.

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analysis pictures

Facebook Profile Pictures Defining their Identity

This Female Masking social community (facebook) site has been created in order to provide a central online meeting place for men that are interested in female masking.

Their goal is to connect men that are interested in female masking, so that they can talk with other like minded people, share experiences and provide support for each other.

“Being secret maskers ourselves, we understand how social pressure can produce negative affects on people that are interested in this hobby. We also understand that it’s very difficult to talk to family members and friends about this interest. Most simply do not understand.”

“While the hobby is still relatively new, and finding other men who have an interest is difficult, we thought that creating this social community would be a great place to help flourish the interest, while at the same time providing support.”

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analysis pictures

Different Masks

By looking at the different masks there are some which are non-identical.

Homemade Masks

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Commerce Masks

Without Eyes

With Eyes in the Mask

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analysis pictures

Big Eyes

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Drag-Queen Make-Up

Latex Transparent Masks

Fetish like Masks

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analysis pictures

Combination of Masks Wearing Two Masks at the Same Time

It isn’t unusual for a female masker to wear more than one mask. The female mask is in general a realistic mask, which resembles a woman. This mask, made out of silicone or latex can also be worn with an extra mask over it. This makes for a spectacular effect. The latex masks that are often used in a variety of scenes come in a wide array of colors and forms.

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SYMBOLIC 63

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Symbolic

What Symbols are Used in the Pictures?

The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.

According to Dick Hebdige, members of a subculture often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot.

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symbolic

Self-Glorification The Glorification of Self

This new movement is spoken of primarily as “The Self-Esteem Movement.”

The terminology used involves words like Self-belief, Self-worth, Self-esteem, Self-image, Self-love, Self-acceptance, Self-potential, Selfhelp, Self-improvement, Self-fulfillment and such like…

The emphasis is on SELF and the necessity of “coming to a higher view of yourself”. It is “feeling good about yourself” and “getting in touch with your inner self” and “gaining a new sense of personal value and worth”. The real enemy, we are told, of mankind is low or poor self-esteem, a poor self-image and self-concept.

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symbolic

Sanctify The Alter Ego

The existence of “another self� was first recognized in the 1730s. Anton Mesmer used hypnosis to separate the alter ego. These experiments showed a behavior pattern that was distinct from the personality of the individual when he was in the waking state compared to when he was under hypnosis. Another character had developed in the altered state of consciousness but in the same body.

A distinct meaning of alter ego can be found in literary analysis, wherein it describes characters in different works who are psychologically similar, or a fictional character whose behavior, speech or thoughts intentionally represent those of the author.

It’s also used to design the best friend of another character in a story. Similarly, the term alter ego may be applied to the role or persona taken on by an actor or by other types of performers and crossdressing.

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CONTEXT

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context

The Ritual of Getting Dressed The Struggle of Putting the Suit on

It isn’t always about the perfect end result, even though this is essential. The complete ritual of transformation is a process in where full attention is paid to oneself.

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context

The Transformation The Importance of Process

It isn’t about the end result but about the process of dressing and transforming themselves into a completely different person.

They often enjoy the small things such as putting on make-up & choosing their clothes for their female counterpart.

It is a ritual which can take hours. The clothes go over the suits and the female maskers can be wearing up to 5-6 layers at a time.

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INTERVIEW 77

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Interview Kim Netto

Or Showdoll

In my research I didn’t only focus on the doll scene in America I also tried to find Dutch female maskers. By studying the female masking community I found that only a small group of female maskers exists in the Netherlands.

I sent an e-mail to all the female maskers I could find on facebook who were based in the Netherlands. After a few days I recieved an e-mail. From a female masker. His doll character is named Kim Netto. His photo’s were only of him as Kim. He was open for an interview. He invited me into his home and showed me all of his amazing suits and masks. He answered all my questions.

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Interview Is Kim your full alias or do you have a surname as well?

My doll name is Kim Netto, and I live in Arnhem and am 70 years old.

Where did you first encounter the doll scene?

I’ve always had a thing for transvestites; this started when I was really young. When I grew up my father was not in the picture and my mother was very ill. My three sisters took care of me.

They also liked dressing me up as a girl. At that time I would always resist. But later on I came to realize that I actually enjoyed this. As a little boy I often wore a raincoat and boots made out of rubber. I loved the sound and feeling of the material, preferably I would want to wear the raincoat and boots constantly. But at that age and later on I didn’t fully understand what this meant. Much later on when I entered a sex shop for the first time my feelings became clearer. On the shelves of the sex shop I found a small magazine named Atomage. A magazine, which had pictures, interviews, and products for, and about people with a fetish for rubber and leather. What I encountered there shocked me! I dropped the magazine and became introverted. The owner of the shop walked up to me and asked if I was all right, and what was going on. I answered: by looking at this magazine all my feelings were confirmed, I was in shock because there are more people who feel the same way I feel. My feelings finally received a place within myself.

I asked the owner for more issues and I kept returning to the sex shop every week for the latest issues.

How long ago was this?

I’ve had these feelings for as long as I can remember. But I was 18 when I first entered the sex shop. At this time I also started expressing my feelings.

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Do you experience the doll scene as a community?

Yes, we also give each other names. Mine is ShowDoll, because I would show up with a complete new look every time. I strive for perfection when I am Kim. Everything has to be perfect before I show myself. I am still in touch with a lot of other female maskers.

Is the doll scene especially active online?

Yes, this is where most of the interaction happens, but this is also the easiest way. For a lot of people this is a hobby, which never leaves the attic, or may even blow over. This occasionally makes it hard to see who is serious within the female masking scene on the Internet. The Internet has changed a lot within the female masking scene. Now everyone around the world can buy a complete suit. In the past this was different. Back then it was very DIY and you had to make due with the materials/items that were there, it wasn’t as commercial as it is today. It was purely about self-expression.

How often do you wear your masks and suits?

Not as often as in the past. In the past I would wear them on a daily basis. Now I only wear them 1 to 2 times a week.

How long does the transformation from Henk to Kim take?

Approximately 2,5 hours, but I really do need help putting on the complete body suit. This has become too heavy for my age. You shouldn’t rush this due to the vulnerability of the material; the suit should be worn with care, and thus be put on slowly.

How do you feel when you are transformed into Kim? Is it very different than your daily life as Henk?

Yes, it feels very different. It is very different being Kim. When I am Kim I am a lot more exuberant and feminine of course. I feel as if I am a woman.

I also don’t talk when I am Kim, because this breaks down being a doll.

Has your life changed because of female masking?

Yes, it has had a lot of impact on my life. I have been married twice and with my second wife I shared female masking. She is a mistress and it pleasured her dressing me up as Kim. I was able to clean and tidy the house as Kim with her.

During my day job I would be Henk but at home I could freely be Kim.

What is your relationship with your doll character? Do you see Kim as an alter ego or as a role you play?

My doll character Kim is a very different person. As soon as I put on the mask I transform into Kim. I move differently and I become a woman. Kim also has a different personality than Henk; she is more daring. That is why I gave my doll character a name.

This makes it clear that I am someone else. It is an alter ego that has become another person to me.

Whenever I am Kim I feel self-confident and beautiful. As Kim I am able to express my feelings and I feel free to do so.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY 85

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Bibliography Wayback Machine Maskon http://www.maskon.com Created by MartiFM@aol.com Michigan, USA Flickr Female mask group https://www.flickr.com/groups/47522037@N00/ Female mask group Group Description This group is for those who loves wearing female masks , doll & latex.

Celesmask http://www.celesmask.com Celes Studio 2010 Cross Dressers Forum Photogenic Mask Metafilter Psychology Today Topsy Channel 4 Published on Jan 7, 2014 Secrets of the Living Dolls BuzzFeed Reddit Female dolls Gawker Like rubber dolls is amazing NY Daily News By victoria Taylor; New York Daily News, Tuesday, January 7, 2014.

Documentary follows men who masquerade as plastic dolls The Daily Dot

By Miles Klee on January 07, 2014 Dudes wearing female doll masks is already 2014s weirdest fetish Judy Chicago http://www.judychicago.com Created by Judy Chicago & Donald Woodman

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Charm Offensive http://charmoffensive.typepad.com/folder/2011/02/ an-art-project-to-make-lady-gaga-pause.html Aquaaerobika and The Weird Factor: Something to Make Even Lady Gaga Think.

By Stuart Garlick Aquaarerobika http://www.sashafrolova.com/aquaaerobika.html By: Sasha frolova.

Nadia Lee Cohen http://nadialeecohen.com Cover photo and others are from Nadia lee Cohen The Atlantic What Men Find Behind Female Masks Inside the increasingly common practice and business of female masking.

By Luke Malone Yatzer http://www.yatzer.com/FACE-THE-FUTURE-GordonVon-Steiner-VOGUE-Italia Face the future

By Gordon Von Steiner for Vogue Italia Faceless http://www.mediamatic.net/360122/en/faceless By: Gerda Postma, Carmen Schabracq, Marina Abramovic, Martin Backes, Jeremy Bailey, Jonathan Barnbrook for David Bowie, Aram Bartholl, William Basinski, Marc Bijl, Zach Blas, Heiko Bressnik, Thorsten Brinkmann, Ondrej Brody & Kristofer Paetau, Mark Brown, Asger Carlsen, Ben DeHaan, Sofie Groot Dengerink, Nezaket Ekici, Arthur Elsenaar, Shahram Entekhabi, Caron Geary aka FERAL is KINKY, Hrafnhildur Gissurardóttir, Mark Brown, Ren Hang, Adam Harvey, Sabi van Hemert, Ursula Hübner, Damier Johnson aka REBEL YUTHS, Katsuya Kamo for Junya Watanabe COMME des GARÇONS, KATSU, David Haines, Brian Kenny, Ute Klein, Nienke Klunder, Jakob Lena Knebl & Thomas Hörl, Miodrag Krkobabić, Mirko Lazović, Theo-Mass Lexileictous, Vanessa Lodigiani, Zachari Logan, Jill Magid, Maison Martin Margiela, Slava Mogutin, Veljko Onjin, Bernd Oppl, Tanja Ostojić, Marco Pezzotta, Gareth Pugh, Eva-Maria Raab, RAF SIMONS, Ana Rajcevic, Daphne Rosenthal, Tarron Ruiz-Avila, Mustafa Sabbagh, Olivier de Sagazan, Daniel

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Sannwald for WOODKID, Bryan Lewis Saunders, Frank Schallmaier, Hester Scheurwater, Tim Silver, Jan Stradtmann, Sergei Sviatchenko, Jun Takahashi for UNDERCOVER, Maiko Takeda, Saša Tkačenko, Marc Turlan, Levi van Veluw, Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek, Viktor & Rolf, Philippe Vogelenzang & Majid Karrouch, Daniel Vom Keller, Martin C. de Waal, Addie Wagenknecht & Stefan Hechenberger, Anne Wenzel, Bernhard Willhelm, Andrew Norman Wilson, Lucy Wood Rubbersisters http://www.rubbersisters.com

By Jacline and Monica Hot Girls Magazine http://hotgirlsmagazine.com Editor-Publisher: T-Vyrus Fashion Columnist: Christina Saint-Marché LaTeX http://latex-project.org

by Toni Santo-Regis Silicones Europe http://www.silicones.eu

By Dr. Pierre Germain Daniel Handal pictures http://data-gallery.com/?p=1410

By Daniel Handal Colourful Rebel http://colourfulrebel.com/en/?p=2419 Female masking

By Bas & Frank Atomage Magazine http://www.atomage.co.uk

By John Sutcliffe W

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Special thanks to: Kim Netto / Showdoll