10 • Incogniko

Incogniko

I've often marveled at how much fun disguises are. Who doesn't love a great costume? From masquerade balls to Halloween, there's an excitement about pretending to be someone, about not being yourself. The children have loved these silly little glasses -- they are absolutely giddy thinking no one can recognize them in a mustache. Why is that? Is it the humor of a surprise? Is it the same reason we wrap presents or pretend we've forgotten someone's birthday up until the moment she walks into the dark room filled with friends and balloons?

I was initially going to connect this love of disguise with make up and other cosmetic things we do to hide ourselves behind something "better" -- but now I don't think they're the same thing. At least not entirely. Some people are very uncomfortable in their skin, and hide behind all kinds of make-up, clothing, styles, etc. (I'm thinking about "goth" black-lined eyes; colored hair; push-up/down/in garments; clothing that distracts you from seeing the person wearing it). But the innate love of disguise I'm talking about includes the big reveal: Stefanie wouldn't be the least bit interested in wearing those glasses all day. The fun is in tossing them off and hearing the surprised "Oh! Stefanie, it's you!" from everyone in the room.

Although, maybe the truth is, all of us who hide behind the continuum of every-day disguises probably do, deep down, love that we can toss it all off. At the end of the day, we can toss it all off and know that our moms, our husbands, our children see us, and that they really weren't fooled all along--and cherish us just the same.