Just as political prisoners turn to internal lives to survive confinement and torture, marginalized people turn to popular culture to survive in hostile societies. From the underground music scene in Iran to the defiant LGBTQ dancers who perform in Russia, individuals use a secret life connected to popular culture in order to protect themselves from the real dangers of exposure. Drawing on examples in fiction, film, theater and social media, UA Spanish Professor Melissa Fitch examines the cultural masks that people don to allow for safe personal expression in the face of sanctions from their family, religious community or nation.