I Am Not a Costume!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by MisticLight

I love dressing up in costume when I go to conventions but at the same time I don't want to offend anyone. I love showing love for my favorite fictional characters but most of the time I look nothing like them in real life. (such as different skin color or opposite gender)

Well OK, let's discuss that.

Is it offensive to an African-American if a white man dresses up - skin darkened and all - as Worf from ST: TNG? IMO, that would depend on how much Worf's skin color was part of him being a Klingon.

I can't believe I just wrote that.

[MisticLight]

I don't wear any make up at all with my costumes mainly because I'm not experienced with using make up and I'll rather just not worry if skin color is accurate unless it's a weird color like blue/purple where is it part of the character.

[amIblue?]

I think using makeup to change your skin color (unless it's red or blue, etc) is problematic.

[SOPi_Jawbreaker]

Originally Posted by MisticLight

I did read the thread. I don't see how dressing up as a geisha is seen as negative. Also the article didn't make sense to me as why the opening addressed sexy costumes when that wasn't the topic at hand. Instead of asking if I read the thread, mind explaining why dressing up as a geisha is offensive?

It has to do with the stereotypes of Asian women. It is a hyper-sexualized stereotype...that Asian women are submissive whores that exist to please,obey, and submit to white men, like the whole "Me love you long time" thing.

Slight tangent - A big part of the stereotype continuing to persist is the huge problem of sex trafficing of Asian women in Asia and in the US. When I was growing up, there was an Asian massage parlor on the other side of town (suburban town in Pennsylvania) that was rumored to be a prostitution ring. And a few years later, a sting operation cenfirmed it and it was raided. Before that though, my family had once gone to buy furniture at a furniture store that was in the same shopping center. I was probably 13 or 14 (and definitely looked 13 or 14), and a 50-something white man that was going to the massage parlor smiled and looked at me really creepily and lecherously when he walked past me and my family. It was very disturbing to have a 50-something man looking at me like that.

As for real, authentic kimonos, hair, and makeup, I'm not Japanese but I think that it can be done respectfully by non-Japanese if they've educated themselves about the culture,
the history, and the meaning. I think there is a difference between wearing an authentic kimono because you have learned about and admire the culture vs dressing up in a cheap, slutty-looking costume that equates geisha with being just a sex object.

[ElieM]

Originally Posted by SOPi_Jawbreaker

As for real, authentic kimonos, hair, and makeup, I'm not Japanese but I think that it can be done respectfully by non-Japanese if they've educated themselves about the culture, the history, and the meaning. I think there is a difference between wearing an authentic kimono because you have learned about and admire the culture vs dressing up in a cheap, slutty-looking costume that equates geisha with being just a sex object.

Given that there has been at least one non-Japanese geisha, if you don't count Liza Dalby, who never formally trained as one, you could dress up as a geisha. I think there is a Romanian geisha as well.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well OK, let's discuss that.

Is it offensive to an African-American if a white man dresses up - skin darkened and all - as Worf from ST: TNG? IMO, that would depend on how much Worf's skin color was part of him being a Klingon.

I can't believe I just wrote that.

iLOL'd

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Well OK, let's discuss that.

Is it offensive to an African-American if a white man dresses up - skin darkened and all - as Worf from ST: TNG? IMO, that would depend on how much Worf's skin color was part of him being a Klingon.

I can't believe I just wrote that.

Letting my nerd show, but IIRC all the Klingons were black.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Letting my nerd show, but IIRC all the Klingons were black.

Nope. Many were played by white actors. Brian Bonsall (also from Family Ties) played Worf's son, for example.

[Psi U MC Vito]

So I stand corrected.

[amIblue?]

Y'all lost me at Klingon.