Masking and unmasking are key themes in contemporary discussions and advocacy work within autistic and (more generally) neurodivergent communities today. ‘Masking’ refers to the variety of ways in which individuals consciously or unconsciously modify their spontaneous and natural reactions, behaviours, communication and expression to fit with neurotypical norms and expectations, either through the suppression of reactions and behaviours or the adoption of specific behaviours, in order to ‘fit in’ and be accepted, or perhaps more rightly stated to avoid exclusion, discrimination and harassment. Research and medical literature often define masking as coping mechanisms, adaptive or compensatory strategies. This positive view of masking as a ‘tool’ or ‘technique’ enabling autistic individuals to integrate society by conforming to societal norms contrasts however with the experience of autistic individuals themselves, and the high toll in terms of physical and mental health consequences of masking, but also to the loss of identity, sense of self and autonomy that masking entails. They point to the importance of learning to unmask and be (or become) their authentic selves, but also the challenges of discovering one’s authentic self after a lifetime of masking. In this paper, I wish to explore the notion of unmasking as a dynamic, relational and existential process of self-disclosure, both to oneself and to others. Autistic individuals, especially late-diagnosed individuals who have spent a lifetime unconsciously masking their traits and difficulties, face multiple challenges and questions regarding unmasking: How do I know when I am masking? Who am I behind the mask? Am I masking even when I am by myself? How do I communicate my authentic self to others when (part of) what I am masking are communication differences? While these questions might appear problematic if we assume that authentic selfhood is something everyone essentially possesses, a more dynamic and relational understanding of authenticity, and its grounding in social and linguistic practices, offers perspectives for rethinking authentic self-disclosure. I aim to work through these notions drawing upon Sartre’s reflexions on authenticity and communication in Notebooks for an Ethics, suggesting that the opposite of authenticity should not be thought of as inauthenticity or pretending; rather, the opposite of authenticity is oppression.