The Porcelain Mask

Stella

We exit hair and makeup, and I can’t help but feel like an impostor beneath this mask of perfectly-caked makeup. Just like yesterday, it feels like an uncomfortable facade, a porcelain mask covering the real Stella. I can’t help but wonder to myself: why is this amount of makeup necessary for a cooking show? Shouldn’t my abilities be judged, not my face?

I glance over at Vance as we walk o