If ever the LOH community organize a lavish masquerade meetup, I will not dress like a king nor will I dress like a prince, or dress like a complete masquerade from my tribe, "Ekpo or Ekpe" Ibibio.
Rather, I will dress like Erik, the Phantom of the Opera.
A black tuxedo with long tails. A snow-white half mask. White gloves. A cape that drags mystery behind you.
AI generated image of myself with Erik costume.
Why I chose Erik costume is because his dress is not just fashion but his dress is a philosophy.
Let me break it down philosophically;
His mask represents what every man hides.
If I wear his mask, I am saying that I am not perfect.
Half of me is darkness while the remaining half is a man trying to be okay.
Everyone at a masquerade is hiding something but Erik's halfmask is honest about it.
We all have a scar we cover.
A pain we hide.
A past we don't want people to see.
In the real world, we use smiles as masks. In the masquerade, Erik uses a real mask to tell the truth.
I am a man who has seen life, burial of my parents, betrayal, struggle, rising again. I know what it means to hide your pain and still show up looking composed.
That is Erik.
That is me.
His dress code represents genius that the world rejected.
Erik was not ugly in talent.
He was a genius in music, architecture, magic, love but the world only saw his face and rejected him.
This is exactly my present predicament.
I have talent.
I have ideas.
I have dreams.
But the people are still judging me by where I come from, my accent, and my small beginnings.
Erik's black and white suit is the dress of a rejected genius who still chose to show up in elegance.
Erik did not dress in rags.
Erik dressed like the elite that rejected him. That is class and self confidence combined.
That is the kind of revenge I love and not bitterness, but elegance.
His cape represents mystery and power.
At a lavish masquerade meetup like the imaginary one from the LOH community, most community members want to be seen. I will love to be wants to be felt.
He does not walk into a room shouting. He enters and the atmosphere changes.
His cape does not make noise, but everyone feels his presence.
That is the law I believe in, the quietest ones always pull the string.
Erik is the perfect example.
He never fought to be noticed, but the entire Opera House danced to his tune.
If I wear Erik, I won't need to talk too much. My presence will speak.
My silence will be louder than their costumes.
His dress represents forbidden love and pain.
Behind that mask is a man who loved deeply, Christine.
He loved with obsession, with madness, with music.
Every man has loved and lost.
Every man has loved someone he couldn't fully have.
Erik's dress carries that romantic tragedy.
When I wear his costume, I carry my own story of love, loss, and lessons.
It is not just a costume to me but it is also a confession.
So if you see me at that LOH community imaginary lavish masquerade meetup, don't look for the man in gold nor the man shouting for attention.
Look for the man in the corner with Black tuxedo, White half-mask with cape.
Quiet.
Watching.
Holding a rose.
That will be me, David.
Because at a meetup where everyone pretends to be someone else, I want to dress as the one man who was honest about pretending.
And trust me, when I remove my mask at midnight, you will not see a monster but rather you will see a man who turned his pain into art.
This is why I choose Phantom of the Opera.
Author: @DavidUman