Men In Rubber Masks

[docrobbysherry]

I AM a lot more open now, Joanne. The showing of the documentary in the UK was the beginning. The producers of it warned me I would receive lots of posts on Sherry's FaceBook page. They put my name, Robert Sherry, in the video credits. And, warned me about possible negative comments.

Instead, I received over 300 comments and Friend requests from the UK rite after it aired! Remarkably, not one was negative. Interestingly, few were from CD's or "maskers"! Almost all were from vanilla folks either curious about why I do this and/or complimentary about my "bravery"!

That positive energy pushed me to continue to test the envelope for masked crossdressers. And, that's what I've been doing. Accepting opportunities to appear when I felt the media would either present me fairly or in a completely neutral lite.

I only received a handful of posts after it was shown in Australia and the USA. I believe being shown on a major channel in the UK made a dramatic difference!

[~Joanne~]

That's why I love the UK and it's people, they aren't stifled by the same things that we are here in America. I have always notice they are more laid back and easier going and honestly I believe that are more accepting than we are when it comes to things people don't consider "normal". They are afraid to try new things that catch their fancy and really don't care what other people think. We have a long road to travel in this country to catch up

[daenna]

As one who has been "out on the town" with Sherry, I can say that she looks fab in person!

[Jenny22]

Sherry, the real person, IS a 'doll' in every positive sense of the word. If you've ever met her, I know you'll agree. She's such a lovely lady in real life. I'm so very happy to call her my friend.

[Wen4cd]

I know a lot of maskers, and spent many years making masks. (Not rubber or plastic, my style was for rigid fiberglass doll masks modeled after Japanese Anime characters, used by 'doll-ers'.) They were all very much passionate performers, and nearly obsessive artists when it came to their presentation. but there was also a tendency to hyperfocus on one aspect of presentation and ignore the rest, particularly in newbies. This usually resolved itself with experience and age, until you reach a pinnacle like Sherry .

I have to say I am out of the mask scene now, for years and years, and it was not because still don't find masking beautiful, but it had obvious drawbacks that were limiting my personal enjoyment of dressing.

I really, really enjoy the transformative process of applying makeup. And I like seeing my own emotional expressions looking back at me out of a mirror.

But If I am simply trying out a bit of costume I made to see how it fits, I certainly still throw on a mask out of sheer convenience.

Not only are masks convenient, they have other properties Sherry touched on as well. They are an 'armour' between your own identity and the one you are presenting. You will have less identity dissonance in a mask. You will portray your notion of femme in a certain way, and it will less affect the rest of you when you are done.