Cosplayer called 'racist' for dressing as black character

[Shlee]

It's make up made to make her nose look wider at the base. I took a hard look when I was looking at the picture. It's easy to change your facial features with good highlights and contouring. :P

 

[SuperT]

I just want to know, is that her real nose or is part of her cosplay?

She's used the makeup to make her nose look wider. This is what she actually looks like:

Gorgeous girl, but stupid.

 

[Galactus123]

Making up as people of diferent skin colors should be a normal thing in cosplay, no reason not to.

I agree.

 

[SlamAdams]

Its only racist in the imagination of someone who thinks it is.

It being offensive to you for what you know doesn't actually makes it a real offence.

Making up as people of diferent skin colors should be a normal thing in cosplay, no reason not to.

If someone of said skin color is offended by it, is that not enough reason not to do it. That doesn't sound like they are asking for much or being unreasonable.

 

[Travesty]

The moral of the story is, never ever dress up as a black person if you're white....unless you're RDJ.

 

[SuperT]

The moral of the story is, never ever dress up as a black person if you're white....unless you're RDJ.

People keep bringing up RDJ in Tropic Thunder but I think people are missing the point about his character. The character was being used as a way call out Hollywood and it's use, or in this case, misuse of minority actors and characters (also to poke fun at the awful extremes character actors go to). It was offensive because it was suppose to be.

But the first part of your sentence - yes, is that too much to ask?

 

[Howlett]

If someone of said skin color is offended by it, is that not enough reason not to do it. That doesn't sound like they are asking for much or being unreasonable.

The only problem with that, is that some people can and will be offended by anything and everything.

When the intent of the person is clear and clearly meant to not be intended as offensive, I really don't see the point in getting upset about something like this. Especially when there are far more outrageous examples of blatant racism that happen all the time.

 

[Schlosser85]

If someone of said skin color is offended by it, is that not enough reason not to do it. That doesn't sound like they are asking for much or being unreasonable.

Everyone shouldn't always bow down to someone finding something to be "offended" by.

 

[Shlee]

Or, because people know it's a controversial issue, they could just avoid the controversy all together and possible offense to people who have a right to be offended by those things and just not do it at all.

I think (and I am not black nor do I speak for black people) that black people would have been far less offended if she'd dressed up as the character and not painted her face to look black. I could be wrong, but I don't think that I am.

 

[SlamAdams]

The only problem with that, is that some people can and will be offended by anything and everything.

When the intent of the person is clear and clearly meant to not be intended as offensive, I really don't see the point in getting upset about something like this. Especially when there are far more outrageous examples of blatant racism that happen all the time.

Blackface isn't anything and everything though. It carries with it racist connotation, whether intended or not. Yes, she probably didn't intend it this way. Yes there is more blatant racism. But people calling her out for being racist isn't that crazy of a response.

 

[Onslaught03]

The moral of the story is, never ever dress up as a black person if you're white....unless you're RDJ.

I don't really give him a pass either, especially considering how tasteless and thoroughly offensive Tropic Thunder was. The only case of white blackface that I look upon favorably would John Howard Griffin's choice to don a black appearance (through chemical treatment) for his book "Black Like Me." Griffin's decision cost him many of his friends and nearly got him killed by the Klan, but during his expose, he truly experienced the evils of segregation from a first-hand perspective.

Back to the topic at hand, the moral of the story is clear, despite your obvious straw-man. It is fine to dress up as a black character if you are not black, but no matter your race, you shouldn't be altering your skin tone or physical appearance in any way to mimic the phenotype of a race that isn't your own (i.e. no eye lifting, nose widening, or dark-colored makeup). If you wish to express your adoration for a character of a different race, do it in a way that isn't so lacking in sensitivity and tolerance.

 

[Howlett]

Everyone shouldn't always bow down to someone finding something to be "offended" by.

Right. Some people are offended by interracial couples, or gay marriage. Should we cater to their sensibilities?

 

[SlamAdams]

Everyone shouldn't always bow down to someone finding something to be "offended" by.

Not always, but I do think so here. She's just a girl playing with makeup. I find it strange that people care more about her getting to play with makeup than the people who feel sensitive towards it. Or just flat out ignoring the racist history of blackface. Obviously, this kind of thing still effects people and it is well known to. It wasn't that long ago Julianne Hough was criticized for wearing balckface on Halloween because she went out as Crazy Eyes from Orange is the New Black

 

[Shlee]

No, but interracial couples and homosexuals haven't been used to oppress an entire group of people.

That doesn't even equate to this situation. Being offended because people want the same rights and privileges you have is not the same as being offended because someone in a majority group is doing something that has a history of trying to make your racial group be looked at as second class citizens.

 

[SlamAdams]

Right. Some people are offended by interracial couples, or gay marriage. Should we cater to their sensibilities?

Not equivalent.

 

[SuperT]

Right. Some people are offended by interracial couples, or gay marriage. Should we cater to their sensibilities?

But neither of those things carry any sort of discriminatory history or racial connotations like blackface, so of course it's ridiculous and cruel to oppose those things.

 

[Onslaught03]

Right. Some people are offended by interracial couples, or gay marriage. Should we cater to their sensibilities?

This is equivocation raised to the highest level. Interracial marriage and gay marriage represent fundamental civil rights, and the matter of blackface in cosplay is one of decency/taste. From a legal standpoint, you may dress yourself in any way that you like; however, you cannot "ban" others from being offended by your personal choices (after all, dissenters have freedom of speech as well). You have a right to dress up as a black character, but I have an equal right to call you a racist for doing it.

 

[Soapy]

Not racist, just stupid. The idea itself isn't even stupid, part of it is the stupidity of modern society for getting offended over the slightest thing, and part of it is the stupidity of the girl for not recognizing the stupidity of society and thinking she could do something like this without a bunch of people whining.

 

[Howlett]

Blackface isn't anything and everything though. It carries with it racist connotation, whether intended or not. Yes, she probably didn't intend it this way. Yes there is more blatant racism. But people calling her out for being racist isn't that crazy of a response.

This isn't really blackface though. It's makeup art.

This is blackface

If you can't see the difference between that, and this

I don't know what to tell you.

It's like asking why they made Zoe Saldana's skin green for Gamora. It's because that's what the character looks like.

 

[SuperT]

Not racist, just stupid. The idea itself isn't even stupid, part of it is the stupidity of modern society for getting offended over the slightest thing, and part of it is the stupidity of the girl for not recognizing the stupidity of society and thinking she could do something like this without a bunch of people whining.

So what you're saying is that minorities who are troubled or offended by this are just being stupid and not the actual person who has no clue about the history, connotations or implications of her actions.

Hmm, okay.

 

[Shlee]

Right, but green skin isn't something naturally occurring in the human race, and painting your skin green (or purple, or bright orange, or pink or magenta or blue) hasn't been used in the past to oppress an entire group of people!

Whether or not in this moment she meant it as any kind of offense is a moot point. The fact of the matter is, it is generally seen as extremely tasteless and racist for someone to paint their skin black in this day and age, because it calls to mind the oppression of an entire group of people.

If you don't understand that, and can't see why that minority could be somehow offended by it, then I feel sorry for you.

 

[TheHeatKitchen]

Whoever labels this girl as a ''racist'' is a moron. The context of doing this is completely different from what it once stood for in the 19th century.

But hey, White Chicks is still cool, right?

White girl does it for Comic Con, it's racist. Black guys do it, and push the limits of stereotypes and it's comedy.

I love the world we live in.

 

[Onslaught03]

This isn't really blackface though. It's makeup art.

This is blackface

If you can't see the difference between that, and this

I don't know what to tell you.

It's like asking why they made Zoe Saldana's skin green for Gamora. It's because that's what the character looks like.

For goodness sakes, Gamora is the alien daughter of Thanos, and she isn't intended to represent/identify with a real-life race of humans (despite the race of her actress). The two images that you showed aren't terribly different (even if the second is less offensive); both instances portray non-blacks as black people in a caricatured, poorly-emulated fashion.

 

[Onslaught03]

White girl does it for Comic Con, it's racist. Black guys do it, and push the limits of stereotypes and it's comedy.

I love the world we live in.

Well, if there were an equally comparable tradition of blacks utilizing their dominant social status to justify their racist satire of whites through face-painting, then I would also be opposed. Unfortunately, no such thing has ever existed in history, and thus, the two examples that you mentioned cannot be accurately contrasted with one another.

Also, I've never found a single person who thought that "White Chicks" was funny. It has a very rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was almost universally despised by moviegoers. The Wayan brothers haven't ever really specialized in high-brow comedy, and the whole film was utterly devoid of anything resembling intelligent satire or wittiness.

 

[SuperT]

White girl does it for Comic Con, it's racist. Black guys do it, and push the limits of stereotypes and it's comedy.

Yes because white people have suffered under the appropriation, hatred and tyranny of African-American's for 100's of years. Oh wait...

Plus who is pumping up "White Girls"?!? lol