Crossplay & POC - okay or insensitive?

K

kpodcosplay

New Member
Hello folks,

I'm looking for some advice about an upcoming cosplay I'm considering: Heimdall from Thor: The Dark World.

The costume is amazing. The character is incredible. Both the sewing and fabrication components speak to me artistically. This would be a project I would want to honor with craftsmanship and attention to detail.

My issue boils down to social norms because I'm a caucasian female. Is this cosplay inappropriate because of my race and gender?

I'd love to hear helpful opinions.

Thanks,
Kristy
 
No, as long as you don't make yourself up to look black its fine. One of the best Batmans I've seen is Black. The point is to dress up and have fun. None of us are the character we dress up as, it's a tribute to the things we love. There are lots of "gender bender" costumes on the forum and at conventions. If you want to do it, do it.
 
Different people have different ideas of what is acceptable. Common sense says this is completely okay. You'll always find one out there who would want to make a big deal out of it but not likley. :)


Go for it and have fun! Cosplay is for everyone!
 
The whole point of Cosplay is to be who and what you are not. Gender bending isn't offensive, hell in the comics Thor is a woman. Once he was actually turned into a woman, not just replaced by one. DC comics has an entire universe(Earth 11) where ALL of their characters are gender swapped.

As for the race issue, as stated above, as long as you're not going blackface, who cares. In the comics, Heimdall is white. In the actual Norse Mythology Heimdall is known as the whitest of all gods. Who cares if if you're portraying an already race swapped character as something other than his screen ethnicity.
 
As a resident of liberal Los Angeles, son of a Cal Berkeley grad from the 60s - it wouldn't offend me. Do your thing!
 
Black face is still frown upon, so let's not open that can of worm (as for me, you'll have to wake-up early to shock me:rolleyes) apart from that, have fun!!
 
Unfortunately it is still frowned upon. As a POC cosplayer, I can recognize the make-up skill and artistry it takes to change your skin color to look even close to natural. Some day in the future it might be accepted, but for now, it is frowned upon (at least in the US; Europe and Asia still do it, and most of the outcry comes from US cosplayers).
 
Agreed with everyone else here - as long as you don't use make up to make yourself look like a POC when you're white, then it's fine in my book. Wear the costume, enjoy the character, but just don't change your skin color to match - that's offensive.
 
Other than dont do blackface, I would say replace dreadlocks for braids, looks more natural for caucasian hair and dreadlocks are also custom of descendants of african origins.
But yeah, you can totally do it, dont forget the cool eyes!
 
:) You are you, and you can't help that. Just be reasonable is all, as everyone else is advising. It's just a costume after all.
 
Thanks for all the great advice! I'd never attempt to change my skin tone - so I'm really thrilled to put my own spin on Heimdall's amazing costume. Here's a preview of some of the fabrication I've already started. Just prototypes. More to come. :)


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