The Comfort of a Mask

       
           In my mythology class last year, my teacher told us that Halloween is the most revealing holiday, even though it is displayed as the most disguised. The reason is, a person's costume reveals something about them. it could be a personality trait, a similar emotion or even an admiration for the character. Under masks, we can reveal anything we want. What we are really afraid of. How much we actually care. I find this very interesting.
         Actors can relate to a specific role they play. People pretend to be characters from TV shows, movies and books online all the time. So what makes these aliases revealing? Why did the person choose that specific character or symbol to represent themselves by? This goes beyond nicknames, although sometimes nicknames reveal an inside joke among friends or family. Names in general can be revealing about a person, depending on the situation or the attitude a person has about their name. Many authors choose their characters' names very carefully to foreshadow or to reveal a specific part of the character.
         So what motivates people to act, dress or pretend to be someone other than themselves? My mythology teacher would say, "they are revealing someone they want to be or someone they already are." I think this makes sense, in many situations. It doesn't have to be Halloween. This is true with secret admirers, role play, even in writing stories. After all, author's generally relate to their characters, even in a small way.  I believe that this applies to actors, even singers and artists. 
         There is something comforting about a disguise, alias or mask. It is a way to reveal the self without worrying about judgement. No one will be surprised if you are not yourself. But in a way, you are being more true to yourself when you don't worry about what people think. The characters, archetypes and names allow a person to be honest and act truthfully. This is very common in movies, where a character is either forced to or chooses to pretend they are someone else, and then he or she discovers their disguise may be who they really are.
        Whatever you wish to represent reveals a lot about you. Name brands, costumes, keep sakes and aliases are all comfortable ways to show who you are. In a way, a disguise is like a story. It is a lie that tells the truth.
        (I thought about this when I read Dengeki Daisy today, since Kurosaki sends Teru messages under the alias of Daisy. Even after Teru discovers his identity, he admits that none of his messages were a lie, because he could be himself without any pressure of judgement on his character.)
      ( As a side note, many super heroes also discover this when they must compare their two identities.)