Due to the spread of COVID-19 and government measures, wearing masks has become most people’s daily ritual in Leuven and most of the world, which can last for several hours every day, in most public spaces like schools, companies, and stores.

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Face masks become a symbol of the pandemic and a tool to define the boundary between the human body and social and cultural space. It situates in the frontline of the interaction among society, culture, and self (Wang 2020, 98). Wang refers to Mary Douglas’s opinion that holes in the body are the entrance and exit of the social unit. He states that people who choose to wear face masks mean leaning to taboo, through which power and political relations are embodied.

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From the individual’s perspective, the experience of living with masks differs among people. Some people get used to it quickly, others complain about physical, mental, or social problems it has caused and live with the abnormality the boundary brings. Sensory and conception are shaped by body experience (Tang 2015, 56). The body reacts to problems caused by masks through adapting behavior or psychological reconstruction. For example, pimples may enhance the awareness of appearance, and reduced social interaction could trigger mental issues.

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Moreover, wearing masks stands for a moral code and political stance (Wang 2020, 99). The relationship between masks and human being builds identity and social identity. Hence, this research focuses on exploring detailed individual experiences of wearing masks.

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