Mahsa
Alafar

As Cold As Ice

iPhone Photos30th October 2025
The uncanny resemblance of Halloween masks - supposedly meant for fun and laughter - creates in me a sense of unsettling discomfort, entirely separate from fear. It feels like a ritual of not being afraid, desensitizing us to the absurdity of horrific events in the real world.
As an Iranian/non-American who never celebrated Halloween, I found myself - especially in the current political climate – fascinated that we take this moment to look away from real horrors in favor of immersing ourselves in synthetic ones.The appreciation, seriousness, and theatricality of fright are so far-removed from the original, while the most terrifying events are unfolding in real life, carried out in "plain clothes."