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我們為何要隱藏自己的臉

臉孔表達一個人的獨特性和情緒，是我們與世界溝通的主要工具。那麼，為什麼還要隱藏呢？
面具是穿戴於面孔之上的物件，能賦予穿戴者一個新的身分。他們在穿戴者與觀眾間築起一道屏障，而且面具的使用和人類文明一樣古老。對許多人而言，面具連結了物質世界與靈性世界、過去與現在，並提供穿戴者防護與自由。它們也經常在由蒙面薩滿（巫醫）所主持的巫術或宗教儀式中扮演重要的角色；薩滿藉由面具來駕馭超自然的能力，例如：治病，趕鬼，或祈雨。當人們戴上面具後，他們就失去了原有的身分，化身成面具上描繪的鬼靈，例如一個可敬的祖先或是惡魔。
在劇場表演上，面具也被普遍地用來代表不同的角色。在古希臘和中世紀時期的歐洲，人物角色戴上精巧面具以娛樂觀眾。面具是亞洲戲劇重要的一環。今日，我們逐漸習慣戴上假面或經電腦修容後的演員臉孔。
傳統上，戰士們會用面具來恫赫敵人，日本武士即是一例。罪犯們利用面具讓被害者心生恐懼，並有利於逃避追捕。執刑死刑者及判官也穿戴面具以預防報復。被指控使用巫術的女人在審判時會被迫戴上扭曲可笑的面具。面具甚至在人類臨終時的舞台也佔有一席之地。例如在古埃及，死者臉上會被戴上葬禮用的人像面具，以引導死者的魂魄回歸他們體內最終的休憩之處。最令人熟悉的例子便是圖坦卡門國王的面具。在台灣，先人的面具被雕刻在家具上，或是用來裝飾建築物。死亡面具捕捉了面具的雙性格─它顯示了人類的脆弱和死亡的必然，也證明了人類性格永恆的力量。

Why do we conceal our faces?

Faces express individuality and emotions. They are our primary means of communicating with the world, so why conceal them?
Masks are objects worn over the face, allowing wearers to assume new identities. They establish barriers between wearers and spectators. And they are as old as civilization itself. For many people they have formed a link between the material and spiritual worlds, the past and present, offering both protection and freedom to the wearer. They have also frequently played a fundamental role in magico-religious rites performed by masked  shamen who have used them to harness supernatural powers to, for example, heal the sick, exercise evil spirits and summon rainfall. When wearers don masks they lose their previous identity and assume that of the spirit depicted on the mask, be it a revered ancestor or a demon.
Masks have also been used universally to represent characters in theatrical performances. In ancient Greece and Medieval Europe, characters wore elaborate masks to entertain their audiences.  Masks are a key component of Asian Opera. Today, we are increasingly accustomed to film actors wearing prosthetic masks or having their faces digitally altered.
Warriors such as the Samurai have traditionally used masks to intimidate their enemies. Criminals cover their faces to instill fear and evade capture. Executioners and judges have worn masks to avoid retaliation. Women accused of witchcraft were forced to wear twisted comic masks at their trials.
Masks even have a role at the end of life. In Ancient Egypt, for example, a funerary portrait mask was placed over the deceased person's face to guide their spirit back to its final resting place in the body. The most familiar example is the mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Ancestor masks are carved into furniture and decorate buildings in Taiwan. Death masks capture the duality of the mask - acknowledging human frailty and mortality yet attesting to the lasting power of personality.