Masking: What is it?

Its where someone pretends to be neurotypical and not autistic. Not sure how thats possible. I've never been able to pretend myself. Seems like deceit to me and I thought we weren't capable or at least prone to using deceit. With myself what you see is what you get and if you don't like it you can .... you know :) I don't give a shoot what anyone thinks about me I only worry if I have to continuously see people that I don't want to be around. What they actually think about me, it doesn't matter what you think about me, .... if you smell what the rock is cookin' :) 

Its where someone pretends to be neurotypical and not autistic. Not sure how thats possible. I've never been able to pretend myself. Seems like deceit to me and I thought we weren't capable or at least prone to using deceit. With myself what you see is what you get and if you don't like it you can .... you know :) I don't give a shoot what anyone thinks about me I only worry if I have to continuously see people that I don't want to be around. What they actually think about me, it doesn't matter what you think about me, .... if you smell what the rock is cookin' :) 

I do rehearse my interactions, and I do mimic others (which have become conscious acts as an adult), but the impulse to adapt to the environment are unconscious  - an innate survival impulse to avoid bullying and other forms of unwanted negative attention.  

When you're forced to be around toxic people and bullies and where any autistic mannerisms are totally unacceptable, you have no choice but to mask - just for self-protection.