female mask?

Question

what is female mask used for?

Answer 1

In some cultures, it is used to portray benevolent witches.
The Noh mask in the presentation representsHannya, a female demon. The designs of Noh maskswere established hundreds of years ago, and newmasks are copies. The oldest original masks are con-sidered national treasures in Japan. With roots inShinto dances and Buddhist traditions the Noh the-ater is purely Japanese and has enjoyed regular per-formances since the 1300s CE. Only males are al-lowed to perform, and can begin training as youngas six or seven years of age. Young performers oftenstart with masks less frightening and intense thanthose worn by adults. In addition to masks, the per-formers usually wear lavish robes and wigs that ob-scure much of their bodies.The plays are quite long and the action moves ata very slow pace, with very little talk or movement;the effort required to bring life to the wooden masksand create believable emotions is very strenuous forthe actors. The stories in the Noh theater are seriousand sad. Most of the characters in Noh plays aregods, dead warriors, ghosts, and demons.

For many thousands of years, people have been mak-ing masks for rituals, entertainment, and protection.Though these masks represent many different reli-gious and cultural beliefs, styles, and sizes, there aresimilarities in their functions. The Masks: Let’s FaceIt suitcase contains eight masks, created at differenttimes by cultures from around the world. The Art ToGo presentation examines these objects in terms oftheir original purpose and the meanings they heldfor the cultures that created them. During this pre-sentation, students will learn how the masks weremade, but more importantly, why they were made.Students will also explore how our society usesmasks today and how, if at all, these uses resemblethose of the suitcase masks.

Answer 2

The female mask, like the male mask, is used in society to protect oneself from the depredations of living among insensitive others. One creates the mask in order to hide ones "true self", a tender bit of territory, from the usual criticism, abuse, and general nastiness it might otherwise have to endure, essentially endlessly. :))

Metaphysically speaking, of course, ones true self can never really be harmed. What most humans consider to be their "true self" is actually just another layer of ego. And so the drama continues........... :))