There are many kinds of masks used in fetish play and kink, as parts of role play and cosplay, or for a mask fetish itself.
Masks are facial coverings or face-like objects common for many reasons in history. They are ritual or ceremonial and used to take on properties of the gods or another character.
Masks are used to disguise oneself, or to play someone else. They are familiar at masquerades. They can be used to keep warm or protect the wearer from germs or other hazards. They can be used for depersonalization or for bondage, in BDSM or in other settings.
Read: Blindfolds, Hoods and Masks, Oh My!
What Is a Mask Kink?
A mask fetish or mask kink is when someone derives sexual and psychological excitement or pleasure from wearing or seeing someone else wearing a mask.
The mask kink shows up everywhere, as part of all kinds of kinks because it is used to disguise or impersonate another person or character. Sex masks or fetish masks are commonly used, for example, in role play, or as part of bondage in BDSM.
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The mask fetish in and of itself has not been frequently studied by medical or academic experts, so there is little in way of official information about it and lots that is anecdotal and personal.
Reasons why someone may enjoy a version of the mask fetish are simple: sex is often about playing different parts and using our imagination, and masks are a way to take on another personality and resemble someone or something else.
Masks can help you pretend to be an alien, a goddess, or a character in a horror film. A mask can disguise or remove your own identity, whether a simple kind of mask like a leather blindfold or a Venetian style masquerade mask. A mask can help us impersonate someone else, or it can help us remove our own inhibitions.
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A fetish mask can be part of the picture of a larger fetish, for example, those into pup play will enjoy wearing a puppy mask, or those who have medical kinks may wear an N95 mask as a sex mask. Someone who has rape fantasies may have a mask fetish for the balaclava as a mysterious and powerful dominating figure.
There are reports and descriptions of mask fetishism by folks who feel sexual arousal and fulfillment specifically from the mask itself and are not excited without it.
The mask fetish, as with any fetish, can be quite broad but is usually fairly specific. In other words, someone may be turned on by masks in general, and enjoy cosplay masks, leather fetish masks, and surgical masks. But most people with a mask fetish are aroused by a specific context or style.
A fetishist may have a medical kink and like surgical masks only, or have a mask fetish for latex masks only, or be excited by clown masks as part of a coulrophilia fetish, and only find clown masks arousing but not kitten masks.
Read: What Are My Kinks? 13 Ways to Find Your Kink
13 Masks for Kinky Sex
1. Masquerade Mask
The typical Venetian style mask that covers the upper part of the face but allows the wearer to see through the eyes, sometimes tied with laces and sometimes propped on a stick held to the face, is often a work of art that is very beautiful.
this style of mask is perceived as mysterious. Masquerade events are popular and are often outlets for sexual connections and dalliances, occasions where people dress up and “let loose.”
Masquerade masks in past centuries were worn by women for the purpose of disguise so that women could indulge their flirtatious side or even connect for sex in societies that expected them to not have a sexual identity.
There are numerous paintings in art history showing masked women at balls, and this is what was going on! So masquerade masks are really sex masks, in a way.
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2. Latex and Leather BDSM Masks
BDSM attire is head to toe, and there are a variety of leather and latex style masks meant to adorn, harness, or depersonalize a submissive or create an air of mystery and authority for a dominant.
Latex and leather masks are one of the most common kinds of mask fetishes, because BDSM and leather are very common kinds of kinks in general.
Read: Latex BDSM: 10 Ways BDSM Lovers Play with Latex
3. Hoods
A hood is a kind of sex mask or BDSM mask that is usually made from leather or latex but it could be any kind of hood. The purpose is to keep the wearer in bondage, provide sensory deprivation, and depersonalize the submissive.
Read: Encasement Bondage and Total Enclosure Kinks
4. Blindfolds
A hood is a kind of hardcore blindfold that obliterates multiple senses. Not everyone into BDSM finds the experience arousing. But a blindfold does a similar task in a less intense way. Blindfolds are popular in BDSM but also used in more playful settings.
Read: 4 Sexy Ideas for Blindfold Fun
5. Lace Mask
A lace mask fetish might mean a masquerade style mask made of lace, or a full face mask in lace. A hood or full face mask that is lace means the wearer can still see and breathe through it.
6. Kitten/Cat Mask
In kitten and cat play, you can wear ears and a nose with whiskers, or you can wear a full cat mask.
Read: Kitten Play: 14 Ideas for Cats and Kittens in BDSM
7. Pup/Dog Mask
The same goes for puppy play, where ears and a nose are popular, but the puppy can wear a full mask representing the kind of dog they or their dominant likes best.
Read: Puppy Play and the Human Pup Kink
8. Muzzle Mask
A muzzle mask covers the mouth of a dog to prevent them from biting. A muzzle mask can be part of a mask fetish. Symbolically, it prevents a sub from acting out, biting, or speaking. Aesthetically, it is part of the bondage or BDSM look.
Read: BDSM Submissives: 16 Types of Subs
9. Gas Mask
A gas mask is commonly seen in mask fetishes or as a prop in kink play. It can be part of a latex fetish, a military fetish, or steampunk and dystopian role plays.
10. Ski Mask
The ski mask or balaclava style mask is usually a form-fitting mask that covers the whole face and neck with holes for eyes and mouth, or sometimes just for the eyes.
The ski mask fetish can be about erotic humiliation or erotic degradation, with the wearer subject to sensory deprivation. But the ski mask can also be part of the dominant role, as it has been used to disguise figures committing a crime and can have an ominous aesthetic.
Kinky ski masks come in plain black, Spandex, covered in spikes, or simply as the kind of mask you actually wear when skiing or working in freezing outdoor temperatures.
Read: All About Degradation Kink and How to Play
11. Surgical Mask
Those with a medical fetish may have a medical mask fetish or enjoy using surgical masks in medical role play.
Read: Medical Fetish and the Allure of Medical Kinks
12. Ritual and Ceremonial Masks
Masks are ritual objects in many cultures, especially in pagan and spiritual contexts, as well as in holiday masquerade traditions. They may be used in funeral rituals or celebration rituals. Ancient fertility rituals around the world sometimes used masks.
While not common in mask fetishes, some practitioners of sex magick or earth religions may use masks in a sexual context.
Read: A Brief History of BDSM and Kink
13. Masks for Role Play
Masks as part of a bigger picture in kink are probably more common than a full-on mask fetish, as cosplay, anthropomorphic kinks such as furries, and various role plays all use masks.
Role play allows lovers to step more deeply into their fantasies or try different kinds of sex play, and many use masks to really get into their roles, just as actors in the theater do. These could include masks to change gender, dress up as animals, play someone older or younger, play out dystopian or apocalyptic fantasies, and much more.
Do you have a mask fetish or use masks during sex? Dare to share!
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