Mask Envy

This San Francisco Drag Queen Is Making Masks as Iconic as She Is

Juanita MORE!’s handmade masks are fast becoming as famous as her gowns

Photo courtesy of Juanita MORE!

This story is part of our series Mask Envy, where we showcase San Franciscans’ creativity and take a look at some of the coolest masks spotted around the city. Have a look you want to submit? Email info@thebolditalic.com.

Juanita MORE! is one of San Francisco’s most well-known drag queens and nightlife staples. Her impeccably assembled regalia, tongue-in-cheek charm, and philanthropic endeavors have transformed — and continue to evolve — the city’s LGBTQ+ community. But as with all of us, the pandemic has shifted things into different panoramas for her.

MORE!’s DJ sets have gone virtual. Her dinner parties have grown into socially distant resultant pop-ups. No longer can she be seen wagging a finger at a misbehaving queer twentysomething inside a San Francisco leather bar. Amid those changes, she’s found opportunities to introduce new accessories into her looks—like custom hand-sewn masks.

A scroll through the SF icon’s Instagram account illustrates how MORE! has carried the same level of creativity synonymous with her gowns into both her one-off and for-sale face coverings. Many of her available…