Ok, please don’t kill me for asking this…
I’m black, and I wanna do an Afrocentric cosplay of Jeff, the Killer. I’m planning on getting dreads or braids for it, but I also thought about maybe doing some Vitiligo-type makeup for it. but idk if that’s okay to do or if that’s offensive.
I don’t have vitiligo, I never did. The reason I ask if it’s okay to imitate this is because Jeff the Killer is canonically a burn victim due to either fire or chemicals. Sometimes, if you have dark skin and get burned like that, you’ll have white patches left behind once the skin heals which look a lot like Vitiligo. I’m unsure of what lines can and cannot be crossed when it comes to doing theatrical/character makeup other than “don’t do blackface”
Im autistic, so if some of the stuff i say is offensive just be aware that wasn’t my intention, thanks!
I’m a man from the old world and I really don’t understand these questions. Everybody is offended by something nowadays.
I used to be really into cosplay and the cosplay community and these kinds of questions about makeup and skin color would come up regularly. And without fail, the consensus always ends up being that it’s a bad idea. The rule tends to be that you shouldn’t change your skin color unless it’s a fantasy color like purple, green, etc. It very likely will be offensive to someone. If you’re okay with offending people, that’s your choice to make. But if you do this, especially at a convention or if you post it online, there will very likely be people who are bothered by it. The fact that you felt the need to ask usually means that there will be at least a few people bothered by this.
This is a bit of an atypical situation though since you’re black and you’re portraying the character as black. You’re not portraying a different race than your own. I think that’s what bothers most people. Especially if it’s white people mimicking a different race.
But although this isn’t mimicking a different race, it is mimicking a real skin condition that people can be born with and it can be a struggle for them. People may see that as insensitive to their struggle.
Personally, I don’t think your costume idea is a major offense, and you probably won’t get too much backlash for it, especially considering that you are portraying yourself as your own race. But some people will definitely see it as an offense. If you don’t post it online, and you’re not going to a huge convention, it might not be an issue for you at all.
But if I was a person with vitilligo, I might be a lot more upset by it, especially considering that the character is a horror character meant to be scary to look at. Imagine having this disorder and running into someone at a convention who is wearing the thing you’re insecure about to look scary. It might be a bit hurtful and make them feel worse about their condition if it’s something they struggle with or have been bullied for.
Unrelated to your issue, but I saw another comment in this thread saying that portraying black characters as a cosplay is different than doing Vaudeville-style blackface, but most people in the cosplay community would disagree with that. Nobody has a problem with people playing characters who are a different race than the cosplayer, but the consensus tends to be that you shouldn’t change your skin color to do it. It’s heavily discouraged. “I can’t take off my race at the end of the day” is something I’ve heard from black cosplayers a lot when this discussion comes up.
I’ve seen white people cosplay black characters in full makeup at conventions and it doesn’t go well. A white woman cosplaying Michonne From The Walking Dead in full makeup was the talk of a con I went to once. Lots of “oh my god, did you see that? Why would she think that’s a good idea?” Changing skin color makeup is definitely a big deal in the cosplay community, and a lot of people have zero tolerance for it, even for this kind of thing.
Anyway, this has gotten very long. I’m not going to tell you what I think you should do, but I wanted to share my experiences with this. I don’t think your intentions are hurtful. But if you choose to do the costume, you need to be okay with the fact that it will very likely offend or be hurtful to some people who see any skin tone changing as completely unacceptable. Consider where you’ll be wearing it and the kind of people who might be there and make a decision from there. I don’t think it’s really very offensive, but I’m a white woman and I don’t have vitiligo so I can’t speak for everyone. I have a few mixed feelings on the issue, because it’s complicated. But personally I would rather avoid doing something potentially hurtful, even if it’s unlikely to happen, than risk upsetting someone or making them feel bad about themselves because of what I chose to do.
I hope that helps you make your decision, and I wish you good luck no matter what you decide.
Bro that’s crazy.
TL&DR: Cosplay your own or fantasy colors. Probably no issue with burn-mark makeup. (Think Freddy Kruger but tasteful)
Depends. As a white person, would it be offensive to paint my skin the same way?
If its burn scars, then no. Its not offensive, its scar makeup/SFW.
Offensive is when you paint your entire skin brown or try to paint yourself as a different race to play a character.
I wouldn’t. What I would do instead is make convincing-looking burn scars.
Burn scars on black skin make white patches tho… Especially when healed
That’s why I asked <:p
Tbh the more I research about burns on dark skin, the more I realize doing Vitiligo makeup is unavoidable, as burns can very much trigger vitiligo anyways.
spoiler :::
The spoiler tag hasn’t worked and that looks extremely painful.
Depends. Which do you prefer, explaining the incorrect scars or the the correct vitiligo if needed?
Tbh ima have to practice some scar makeup first. And true Vitiligo is just an autoimmune disease and not caused by external factors as far as I know. But burns can trigger it or something similar to it. To me, Vitiligo is just the death of pigmentation in the skin
Here’s the thing: vitiligo simply depletes melatonin from the skin. The skin is otherwise the same in texture, and just looks very light spots.
A scar, however, is damaged skin, regrown. It has a very different texture than normal skin, and will also look different— and, even if it has triggered vitiligo in the affected areas will still be (mostly) the texture of scar tissue. It would look/feel different than a site affected only by vitiligo.
This effect can be achieved by using skin glues or latex paint on the skin. I’m sure you could find even better methods for re-creating scar tissue on the skin on YouTube. From there, you can color the makeup lighter in order to simulate vitiligo.
Yeah, might be overthinking it. Possible there’s no need to worry about it being an issue.
Enjoy the party.
This is incorrect. This is not a healed scar at all. That’s a very fresh burn wound exposing the flesh underneath without the melanin layer.
You can literally see the wound is fresh and is peeling off. Not a healed scar.
Go look up healed burn scars on black skin. The images can be pretty gruesome, but the melanin mostly returns.
I legit already did that and it’s both. it can get lighter or darker.
spoiler
spoiler
All of it depends on the type of burn, severity, and the person’s skin. Jeff the killer became lighter after the burn, so to me it would make sense that, if my skin was burned, Id have both dark spots and white blotches leftover on my skin.
I did do that, I cant link the other images I found tho, but sometimes It doesn’t come back. It depends on the severity of the burn
And in the context of JEFF THE KILLER, his melanin doesn’t come back either. After the burn, his hair turns black and his skin turns white. That’s how he’s always looked. So the skin being turned white regardless is true to the character. Hence why I want to have white splotches in the makeup.
If it’s true to the character the I don’t see a problem with it. The whole issue with things like blackface is more of an issue with stereotypes and racial profiling that are typically associated with it. This isn’t a race thing, so I don’t see that being a problem here. You’re just cosplaying a character you like.
JTK Is white, so his burn scars are way different than how they’d be on white skin. In fact, his burns are the reason he’s paper white to begin with
Right. People fail to recognize that blackface is a practice created by white people to entertain other white people by making fun of black people, portraying them as stupid and uncultured. While I think asking questions about what is and isn’t okay is good practice, there’s no cultural history connected to what OP is asking if he should do. That said, I am not someone with the skin conditions in question, so I’m not the one to decide whether it is “fine”.
I do want to offer the argument that you should do your best not to give people opportunities to miscontrue your intent. You are correct that, in some cases, black burn victims can have lighter patches of skin where they were burned, but this is both not universal and not an experience everyone will have had. If you’re making a cosplay that requires a bit of mental work on the viewers behalf, you probably don’t also want it to be a cosplay which could be perceived as insensitive if people fail to make those connections or put in that work.
I think you’re OK as long as you’re genuine and respectful. It sounds like you’re interested in this character and share your interest in the story with others (so they can be in on your fun too). Go for it, it’s your life :)
Yessssssss. i always loved creepypasta as a kid. Sadly, being in fandoms like those were seen as a “White people” kinda thing. There weren’t any black creepypastas to even begin with tbh… I’m hoping my cosplay may spark some interest in both the community and with other black folks :3
I also just love adding my own spin on stuff when I can (＾ｖ＾)
You can get a white friend to do a side-character of a person that ran away from the fire getting charred.
Maybe it’ll turn into that one scrubs flashback
My mom has vitiligo and this doesn’t seem like it offensive, since it is part of a larger costume. Probably ok at a costume party with close friends or in a play.
I mean, let’s think less about the world at large and think about the audience in particular for your costume. Do the people who are going to see your costume, them specifically, are they going to get upset if you don’t quite nail the line between scar tissue and vitiligo? Or are they going to give you high fives on your awesome costume and makeup job? (I think it’s gonna be the second one, just personally but you would know better than me)
Edit:also please let us see the finished version I love halloween and costume stuff
i think most people aint even gonna know who i am- Creepypasta fell out of relevancy :(((
Yes
Think about it this way - it’s okay this year.
I have vitaligo. I’m just one person, but I wouldn’t care. Though, perhaps I’m not the best person to ask. Sometimes I forget about it until someone else makes an awkward comment. Personally, I think it’s kinda cool.
I know who I am! I’m a dude playing the dude, disguised as another dude!!
I feel like if you’re unsure enough to ask the Internet about something like this, the safest bet is to just not do it.
Sounds like you’re gonna do it anyway, tho, so good luck.
Such weird reasoning - people ask because they don’t know outside of their own limited perspective and what they can infer from their idea of the values of their peers.
You should absolutely ask, no shame.
Just do it subtly enough that you notice the character first and the vitiligo second.
Dunno how they wouldnt notice the red eye contacts, the bloodied knife and hoodie, and the cut smile on my face before going “oh hey that kinda looks like Vitiligo” but I’ll try!!
