Jump Up, Turn Up, Dress Up: The Men Playing Mas at Carnival
Wearing colorful costumes at Caribbean carnivals isn’t just for women — but the gender politics are more complicated than ever
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
With the sweet sound of soca as their backdrop, Caribbean carnivals roll through the region’s various islands each year, each one a multiday blur of revelry, libations… and feathers. So many feathers. Feathers in every shape, color, and size imaginable — feathers that form the very foundation of “playing mas,” a centuries-old tradition of costumed celebration. And while it’s most often women wearing vibrant and flamboyant regalia, if you look closer you’ll see decked-out men throughout the crowd, pelting waist and wining to their heart’s content.
“For me and many others, there was a feeling of discovering a whole new world,” says Steven Lofters of his maiden reveling experience. He is one of the directors of the Jamaica-based band Xaymaca International, which, like all carnival bands, is responsible for creating sections with corresponding costumes for masqueraders. After his first time playing mas in 2006, Lofters founded LEHWEGO, a popular blog that shares insight on…
