Some ladies are starting to don Lionel Messi face masks in an attempt to ward off creeps in public spaces at night and as a new TikTok trend. These stretchy, full-coverage masks feature the famous soccer player’s face with an image realistic enough to potentially fool passers-by, and if not, can at least disguise someone’s true appearance and gender.
While the trend hasn’t taken off quite yet, recent videos have gained enough views in a short time that it would be no surprise if Lionel Messi face mask sales suddenly skyrocketed.
Is that Lionel Messi on the subway?
Three videos by two TikTok users have gone viral after the women filmed themselves putting on the Lionel Messi face masks and dressed in hats and large coats to conceal the edges of the masks and their own figures. With a hood and glasses on, the disguise is remarkably convincing, with the user’s nose even stretching out Messi’s to make it look almost real at a glance.
@tinahyugaa for my girlies who love the night #forthegirls #forthegays #fyp2025 #girlssupportgirls #2025 ♬ Yummy – Righteous Remix – Ayesha Erotica
On Feb. 13, 2025, TikToker @tinahyugaa posted a video that would get over 17.7 million views and which promised that walking alone at night was “no problem” with her technique. She shows how she puts up her hair and dons a thick coat, a baseball cap, and glasses to further the illusion.
@sarahrsalvatore the things we women have to do is crazy #nyc #subway #subwaycreatures #newyorkcity #forthegirls #forthegirlsandgays ♬ original sound – Łaszewo
User @sarahrsalvatore made her own version on Feb. 23 with a similar hat and glasses combo along with a scarf to top off the coat. Later that day, she posted a follow-up with an outfit that included a heavy hoodie under a leather jacket. From a distance, it would be difficult to tell that that is not a man with a goatee and impeccable fashion sense.
Both of these videos may be following in the footsteps of @kellysica, who posted a gem on Jan. 8 showing a woman pulling on a similar mask with a much more disturbing face. She proceeded to strut around the city to the sound of “Cuban Pete” from the 1994 Jim Carrey movie The Mask.
Who is Lionel Messi, and why is his face on a mask?
Messi is a professional soccer (or football) player from Argentina. He plays forward and is the captain for both his national team and the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. As a recognized soccer GOAT, he’s set multiple records and has been called the world’s best player by FIFA eight times.
Though U.S. Americans might not recognize the name due to our unusual lack of affinity for soccer, he’s famous enough globally to get his face featured on various masks sold on sites like TikTok Shop, Amazon, and Etsy alongside images of other celebrities. The stretchy masks, sometimes called shiesty masks, are part of an ongoing trend perfect for TikTok videos.
One account, @crazyy.mask, showed off the Messi shiesty mask under a similar Drake option in May 2024. User @nouhailaait__ has posted multiple videos trying on shiesty masks, including a Messi one that got over 4.9 million views.
Social media reacts: ‘It’s sad women have to do this’
The videos following the mask disguise trend all included captions noting that it’s perfect for women who are out alone at night. Although these messages appear tongue-in-cheek, there is more than a kernel of truth to the idea that ladies need to go to great lengths to avoid street harassment or worse.
Commenters on each video have expressed regret that women have to think about hiding and protecting themselves in public.
“This is smart! It’s sad women have to do this kind of stuff tho,” said one user. “Stay safe my girl!!”
“I had some random man try to push me into oncoming traffic in the east village the other day,” wrote another. “High school boys had to save me.”
According to Stop Street Harassment, 45 percent of women surveyed said they do not feel safe walking alone at night. Their survey from 2000 polled 612 adult women ages 18 to 64 and found that 87 percent had been harassed by a male stranger at least once. However, statistics on street harassment can vary widely depending on how researchers define the term. Would you ever try wearing a mask like this?
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