Photo Study #11 - A Stark Contrast

Plumbers. Electricians. Carpenters. Construction Workers...

Delivery men – particularly, UPS delivery men …

(For your information, this is my UPS delivery guy, Scotty)

There’s just something about blue-collar guys. And I am NOT talking about the ubiquitous stereotype of the fat slob with the butt crack. (My plumber, by the way, is well over six feet tall, built like a porn star with a shaved head and amazing blue-gray eyes – he's neat as a pin on jobs and he’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet!)

The thought of  getting down with a sweaty, (half) naked, muscular stud with a bit of grime on him really does get the pulse racing.

This is the second prototype mask I received from “The Company” and it’s as impressive as the first. Remember, they are going for “average” and "unremarkable." For this one, I asked for a little bit of facial scarring – a hare-lip correction scar similar to Joaquin Phoenix and a chin scar similar to that of Harrison Ford. Plus, the normal head and facial stubbling and eyebrows.

 

This mask is in their “older” age group and as such, is slightly thicker through the chin and neck. When I saw the prototype, my first thought was some type of blue-collar worker and I decided on a home-heating oil guy. Searching the internet, I found a couple of places that customized and sold uniform clothing - they also gave options for some embroidery and name tags. Perfect.

After a bit of pondering, “Sunrise Oil” had a new employee – “George Stark”. And before you ask, no relation to Tony ... or Ned.

I also used my DIY silicone pec and trap enhancers under the mask to give me a little burlier look through the chest.

Like “Deshawn” the fit and finish of this mask is exceptional. The detailing is superb and the scarring I asked for is completely realistic. Fitment of the eyes is even better here than it was for the young black guy.

In order to take “George” out for a spin, I needed to do a little bit of R&D work beforehand. This involved scouting locations of several bars in the neighborhood to see which one would fit him best; I settled on a somewhat older, dingy sports bar.

As with the other mask, Mr. Stark passed with flying colors. Perhaps even better since I didn’t wear any glasses this time.

The bartender didn’t notice anything amiss and I received no strange looks from the clientele. I really could have gone for a Danish Red micro-brew, but I settled for a Bud Light in its place; I wanted – no, needed - to blend in. I had the light flickering from a large-screen TV on my face and even that did not shatter the illusion of whom I was pretending to be - to them, I was just another guy having a drink after a long, hard day.

In place of the head stubble, I can see this mask doing well with a full head of hair – brushed straight back - with a receding hairline, or perhaps a bald spot or thinning on top. Or a crew cut. A thick moustache and/or a  heavier “5 o’clock shadow” version of the facial stubble would also make a good “average” impression.

Here are some more pics: