Cosplay: Downplaying Colorism
It’s the year 2019, and Jupiter is in Sagittarius- bringing faith and boldness into our lives. If astrology isn’t your language, though, perhaps you’ve noticed peers and followers unapologetically embracing their passions and hobbies, pursuing gigs, and honing their skills, or maybe this is even you yourself.
The young people of this generation have shattered rigid societal norms, making anybody free to be true to themselves and others. We, as a generation, celebrate talent, effort, and creativity. While we may be in this modern-day renaissance of acceptance, not all groups of people get the same acclaim as others. One area in particular that is succumbing to this downfall is cosplay, which has become popularized outside of just the anime and manga fandom in recent years.
The first instance of cosplay in history dates back to 1939, when Forrest J. Ackerman sported his creation, the “futuristicostume.” Cosplay wasn’t given its official name, though, until 1984. Since then, the term created by Japanese reporter Nobuyuki Takahashi has spread throughout the world, amassing fans in every corner. In North America alone, there are numerous high attendance conventions for cosplay such as San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con, and the anime-centric Anime North in Toronto, Otakon in Baltimore, MD, and the Anime Expo held in Los Angeles.
While cosplay is an amazing way to band together over a mutual love for something, POC cosplayers face barriers and imbedded racism from even within their own niche. Yarn Goddess Cosplay notes from experience that they are told their skin tone is “too dark” for a character far too often, meanwhile the other white or non-POC cosplayers darken their skin for the sake of “cos-accuracy”.
One makeup artist who remains unbothered as she pursues her passion in this field is Eleanor Barnes, a biracial beauty-focused cosplayer who truly outdoes herself with every character. Adapting personas from all forms of media from anime to iconic movies to even kid cartoons, she leaves no detail left out. She prides herself on being self-taught, self-photographing, and self-editing, and the talent shows through her loyal 112K+ followers on Twitter and 617K+ on Instagram. Not only are her recreations spot-on perfect, but also incredibly beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Oftentimes, though, you’ll find pointless and rude comments on her Instagram regarding how her Blackness has hindered her “cos-accuracy”. When she recreated Jessie from Team Rocket from the Pokémon series, ignorance flooded in about how her lips were too big to be Jessie’s. Not letting it affect her, she joked about how her hair wasn’t suspended in air either if they really wanted to get into the pesky details.
All in all, cosplay is meant to be fun and inviting. POC participants shouldn’t be boxed into the small range of POC characters available to represent, when the entire premise is to be carefree and enjoy being your favorite persona. There is just simply no room for colorism in this industry. So, whether you’re a cosplaying individual or just a fan appreciating the art, remember to celebrate everyone, especially Black talent.
Strike Out,
Writer: Gillian McKendree
Editor: Savannah Tindall
Tallahassee