STOP RACEFACING IN COSPLAY

Racism 101 is a prerequisite!

This first step is to educate yourself.

If you're having trouble understanding why raceface is bad in the first place, it's a good idea to start by expanding the understandings you have of racism and raceface as issues in general.  

All too often, racism is understood as obvious and overt acts of putting down a race to make another race seem superior. While these kinds of acts are indeed racist, racism is a lot more complicated than individual acts of hatred. Moreover, racism can be subtle and include things you might not even think of as racist. In fact, it's possible to do something racist without even knowing it!

Here are some resources and topics that can help you start learning more about racism. Please check it out! 

Ultimately, it's your responsibility to educate yourself. There's no skipping this step.

This is also why resources are provided throughout this guide. If you actually care about being anti-racist and about understanding why raceface is bad, the resources are there for you. The ball is in your court. 

Reverse racism!

If your feelings are hurt because someone is calling you racist, that does not make the person calling you out a "reverse racist". It just makes them someone calling you out on your racism.

Shouting "reverse racism" turns a conversation about racism into a conversation about the hurt feelings of the person who is accused of racism. This makes it harder to talk about the actual racism and do something about it, which is bad for actually fighting racism.

More importantly, by using the words "reverse racism", you are telling the world that you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what racism is and how it operates. Because reverse racism does not exist.

Some resources to look into:

Why there's no such thing as "Reverse Racism"

Does Reverse Racism Exist?

The Myth of Reverse Racism

A Look at the Myth of Reverse Racism

Aamer Rahman (Fear of a Brown Planet) - Reverse Racism 

7 reasons why reverse racism doesn’t exist

“[P]lease tell me why there is no such thing as racism against white people?”

Racism against white people does not exist

Racism is a system that has been built over hundreds of years. It's a system that was built by white people so they could dominate, colonize, control, steal from, humiliate, and belittle people of color. There is no equivalent system in which people of color have done the same to white people -- none with these kinds of global effects that have been built up and maintained over centuries.

So when someone does something racist like racefacing, regardless of their intent, they're perpetuating this large historical racist system. When a person of color gets angry about racefacing, they're not just talking about an act an individual has committed -- they're upset about this system and how the individual's act reinforces this system.

When a person of color says something negative about white people, it isn't connected to or supported by the historical system of racism. That's why there's no such thing as reverse racism, because there's no giant historical system against white people that's reinforced when a person of color gets upset at white people.

If any of this is confusing or even the terms seem confusing, please read more about racism and how it operates.

Ignoring the racist history of raceface

Darkening your skin to look like another race is always understood in a larger historical context of racefacing. No matter what your reasons are for practicing raceface, darkening your skin always recalls and reinforces this racist history.

It is important to know this racist history to understand why darkening your skin for cosplay is never okay.

Here are some resources:

Why Do People Still Use Blackface? 

Why Wearing Blackface Isn’t OK on Halloween (Or Ever)

What's offensive about blackface?

Yellowface: A Story in Pictures 

"What if you love that character or person? Are white people just never allowed to dress up as a black person?"

Explainer: why blackface (and brownface) offend

Why blackface is racist and why you cannot do it

Redface Is Just as Offensive as Blackface

Step Away from the “Indian” Costume

Racebending.com

http://black-face.com/

http://brown-face.com/

http://yellow-face.com/

http://red-face.us/

Moreover, just because racefacing in cosplay doesn’t make you think of this history, doesn’t mean it’s okay. It’s still interpreted through this historical lens. That’s why people are always hurt by and upset about the practice. There is no way to separate racefacing from its racist history. 

And because people think that racefacing is a historical practice that doesn't happen anymore, here are some more recent examples of racefacing:

Disney Does Brownface in Moana Costume Misfire

Japanese TV Rings In The New Year With Blackface

Talking Back: A Protest of Yellowface at the Muny

Oh No They Didn't: French Vogue Does Blackface

Why blackface is still part of Dutch holidays

The Cloud Atlas Conversation: Yellowface, Prejudice, and Artistic License

The New Black: Why do the Dutch still love dressing in blackface?

“We’re A Culture, Not A Costume” Campaign Reminds Us: Don’t Be Racist On Halloween

Native American activists seek to eliminate 'redface'

Futhermore, many people seem to think raceface is only an American phenomenon and issue. It's not. Raceface is a problem all over the world! For more on this, please see: "Racism/raceface isn't a problem where I'm from."

"Racism/raceface isn't a problem where I'm from."

Actually, it is. Racism exists everywhere in the world. The idea that it only exists in the United States is a myth.

Raceface, too, is a problem worldwide, though sometimes it's so common place that people don't think of it as racist. It still always racist though.

Here are some non-American examples of raceface:

Blackface Around the World

Germany Has a Blackface Problem

Why blackface is still part of Dutch holidays

Russians parade in blackface ahead of Cameroon-Germany match

Blackface Continues in Japan. In 2015.

Japan's blackface problem: the country's bizarre, troubled relationship with race

International fans petition to end the use of blackface on Korean television

Colorism is Global: Thai Skin-Lightening Ad Uses Blackface, Says You “Need to Be White to Win”

Blackface, Brownface and Black Lives Matter in Latin America

Peru’s blackface 'Negro Mama' continues to offend

Being Black in Colombia: The curious Son de Negro of Carnaval

French carnival under fire over 'blackface' night

There are countless more examples. Google a country name with the word "blackface", for example, and it's very easy to find more information. 

Also, there's is something called "the global hierarchy of race". Basically, no matter where you go in the world, some races are valued higher than other races. You can learn more about it here.

Moreover, there is something called colorism. This works within people of the same race, ethnicities, and/or nationalities. Colorism values people with lighter skin over people with darker skin. Colorism also exists all over the world. You can learn more about it here:

Media Diversified: Colorism

What Dark-Skinned People Will Never Tell You

The Clark Doll Experiment 

"What's colorism?" 

The Persistent Problem of Colorism: Skin Tone, Status, and Inequality

The Epidemic of Skin Bleaching Around the World

Colorism is Global: Thai Skin-Lightening Ad Uses Blackface, Says You “Need to Be White to Win”

Light Skinned Models Versus Dark Skinned Models – Is There a Preference?

‘You look like the help': the disturbing link between Asian skin color and status

'Unfair and lovely': South Asian women dare to be dark

Skin whitening big business in Asia

Colorism ruined my life growing up in Pakistan

Dark Skin, Light Masks: Colorism as an Adoptee in Korea

The Effects of Skin Color in the Americas

Is It Really Skin Deep?

These systems are global. There is nowhere in the world you can go to escape them. Racism is a problem no matter where you're from!

Remember that just because you think racism doesn't exist doesn't mean that this perception is true. Remember that just because you don't think raceface is a problem doesn't mean that it isn't a problem.

Furthermore, by posting your raceface cosplay photos on the internet, you're going to be reaching people outside whatever you deem to be your context and it's important to recognize how your actions will be negatively impacting others. Denying racism in your own context does not absolve you of this responsibility.

"It's just makeup!"/"This isn't even a big deal!"

No, it's not just makeup. When you say "it's just makeup", what you're doing is equating skin color with makeup. This is one way of reducing skin color to a costume accessory. The thing is, skin color is no way the same thing as something like wigs or color contacts or a necklace, for example.

Far from being an accessory, skin color is an intrinsic part of who people are! It’s connected with an entire life’s worth of experiences, not to mention histories and cultures and families. By saying that skin color can be reduced to makeup, you are saying that skin color can be somehow separated from the people who actually have that skin color. This separation is dehumanizing because you’re ignoring and denying how skin color is a fundamental and important part of people’s lives and instead treating it as something someone can just slap on and then remove at will. 

It’s also vital to note that skin color is connected with negative experiences like racism and colorism. Having a darker skin color can have negative effects on the opportunities someone has, their status in society, how police treat them, how beautiful they're understood to be, etc. Experiencing racism and colorism is very painful. 

So it’s insulting when you decide to darken your skin. It’s insulting that you're treating darker skin tones like accessories instead of intrinsic parts of who people are. It’s insulting because you just wash that skin color off at the end of the day like it’s meaningless. It’s insulting because you haven’t experienced the hardships that come with darker skin tones. It’s insulting because you put on something that is used to caused people pain, wear it around the very people who experience that pain, and can’t even see why this is hurtful and wrong. 

Skin color is not something you can wash off at the end of the day and it should never be treated as such. That you’re treating skin color like makeup reveals that you fundamentally do not understand how racism and colorism operate or why skin color is important in the first place. It also shows how little you care about the people who actually have the skin color you’re trying to mimic. After all, if you cared about people with darker skin, treating skin color like an accessory would be unthinkable. 

In short, reducing skin color to makeup separates skin color from the people who have that skin color. This is dehumanizing, painful, and insulting. Darkening your skin for cosplay is thus dehumanizing, painful, and insulting. Do not do it.

And yes, this is a big deal!

When you say that racefacing isn’t a big deal, you’re saying that you think that the people who are negatively impacted by racefacing don't matter. You’re saying their feelings and experiences don’t matter. Not only does this add insult to injury, it sends the message that people with darker skin and who have experienced colorism and racism are not valued in cosplay communities.

Please remember that raceface is a big deal to a lot of people, even if it isn't a big deal to you. Cosplayers of color are negatively impacted and hurt by it. Dismissing the feelings and experiences of cosplayers of color doesn’t make the issue go away. It just makes what you’re doing even more racist.

Also see: "I'm darkening my skin, not yours! It doesn't impact you!"

"Telling me I can't darken my skin is racist!"

Darkening your skin is racist.

Someone pointing out that darkening your skin is racist is not a racist act. It's just them pointing out that you're doing something racist. If someone tells you that you shouldn't darken your skin, what they are telling you is that you should stop doing something racist.

Seriously. Someone telling you that you shouldn't darken your skin is not a racist act against you. Not being allowed to darken your skin doesn't actually hurt you. If you're upset that it takes away your ability to achieve a bullshit definition of "accuracy", know that this is in no way comparable with what experiencing racism is like.

Also see: “Raceface makes my cosplay more accurate!”

"But what about blue, purple or green people?"

There are no blue-, purple-, or green-skinned people out there who are harmed by you painting yourself blue, purple or green. If the skin tone you're using in your argument doesn't exist in real life, it isn't relevant to this discussion.

It's also problematic that this is too often the first thing people bring up when someone points out that darkening your skin for cosplay is bad. The first response isn't "Maybe we should work harder to understand why racefacing is bad". Instead, people get defensive and argue, "Are you telling me I can’t paint myself blue?" The message this argument sends is that the feelings of non-existent blue-skinned people matter more than actual feelings of cosplayers of color.

"Raceface makes my cosplay more accurate!"

No, it really doesn't. Racefacing does not ever make your costume more "accurate". It just makes your costume racist.

To quote Racebending:

[Brownface] doesn't make you look more like the character; it makes you look like a racial caricature of the character.

The practice of blackface and brownface is inextricably rooted in racial caricature and the use of racial caricature to discriminate and dehumanize. To engage in that legacy detracts from your cosplay -- not to mention, it can also be hurtful to people who must contend with the effects of colorism in daily life.

If you need to commit a racist act to make your costume more "accurate", then your definition of "accuracy" is absolutely worthless.

Not to mention that there are many more problems with this particular understanding of “accuracy”.

First, this definition of “accuracy” takes for granted that skin color and “accuracy” are related -- that in order to be "accurate" someone either needs to be or needs to be able to mimic the "correct" skin tone. This is just not true. It's absolutely possible to cosplay a character and do it well without darkening your skin.

Second, this bullshit definition of "accuracy" negatively impacts darker-skinned cosplayers more than it does lighter-skinned cosplayers. For example, there's a systemic problem where darker-skinned characters are under-represented in mainstream media. If "accuracy" is equated with skin tone, then it's falsely assumed that darker-skinned cosplayers cannot be "accurate" cosplaying the majority of characters out there.

Another problem with this definition of "accuracy" is that it contributes to a climate where cosplayers of color are harassed because of their skin tone. Cosplayers of color are often told their costumes are "inaccurate" because of their skin tone. Not only is this accusation of “inaccuracy” a racist comment in and of itself, it's often accompanied by racial slurs and other kinds of racist vitriol. 

To be clear: costumes worn by cosplayers of color are never “inaccurate” because of skin tone. The problem is never cosplayers of color. The problem is the people making accusations of “inaccuracy” and the continued use of a definition of “accuracy” that operates in such racist ways.

Basically, this argument isn’t just plain false, it also relies on a definition of “accuracy” that hurts cosplayers of color.

This kind of argument about "accuracy" also reduces skin color to a costume accessory, which is incredibly offensive. Please see: "It's just makeup!"/"This isn't even a big deal!"

References Tropic Thunder or White Chicks

Just because Tropic Thunder thought racefacing was okay, doesn't mean it’s okay. It also doesn’t justify your use of racefacing in cosplay.

People seem to think that the use of blackface in Tropic Thunder went uncriticised. It didn't. There were many people who were upset about it. Also, it's important to remember that the use of blackface in the film was constantly compared to the racist history of blackface, even by people who trying to defend the movie. So referencing Tropic Thunder does not magically separate you from the racist history of blackface. If anything, it places you in the middle of that conversation.

Some resources:

Tropic Thunder: Is "blackface" still acceptable in Hollywood films?

Academy Awards 2012: Putting Blackface in Context

Stop Whitewashing: RDJ

Roger Ebert, Blackface, and Tropic Thunder

For a discussion on whiteface, please see: "But what about whiteface?"

Comparisons to tanning

These comparisons seem to be used in three ways.

The first comparison goes something like this: "Darkening my skin to look like another race is the same as tanning, and thus it's not racist!"

Darkening your skin to look like a darker-skinned character is always racefacing and always racist. Also, darker skin tones cannot be reduced to a "tan".

The second comparison goes something like this: "If I tan to darken my skin, then it isn't racefacing or racist!"

Tanning for the sake of tanning is one thing. Tanning to look like a darker-skinned character is racefacing. The latter is racist. If you're tanning so you can cosplay a darker-skinned character, then you're still treating darker skin like a costume accessory, and that's racefacing.

The third comparison goes something like this: "[character here] isn't from a different race. They have darker-skinned because they have a tan. Therefore, it's okay for me to darken my skin to look like them."

It is important to note that this is almost always said about characters who are not white. For instance, Katara and Korra from Avatar are often described as "tan" rather than brown. This is a problem because to call a character of color "tan" when they are in fact brown is insulting. It both denies a character's race and attempts to whitewash them.

Re-classifying a character as "tan" does not justify your racefacing of that character. The character still has darker skin than you and it's racefacing to purposefully darken your skin to look more like them for your cosplay.

Basically, no matter the argument about tanning, it doesn't justify your choice to darken your skin for your cosplay.

"You're just mean/trying to start drama!"

By racefacing, you are doing something racist and offensive. When someone calls you out on this, they're not doing it to be mean or with the intent of starting drama. They're doing it get you to stop doing something that is racist and offensive!

If meanness and drama exists, it didn't start with the person calling you out. It started with your decision to do something mean like racefacing and then you denying that this is problem when it's pointed out to you.

People aren't pretending to feel hurt with the sole intention of making you feel bad. They are actually hurt by something you're doing and want you to stop doing that hurtful thing.

Moreover, by reducing this to "meanness" or "starting drama", you are dismissing accusations of racism and thus failing to take them seriously or address them in any meaningful way.

You are also trying to make the conversation about "meanness" or "starting drama" instead of about the racism you're being called out for. This is called derailing. If you are unfamiliar with the practice of derailing, you can read up about it on this site.

"I can darken my skin if I want to!"

You sure can. That doesn't mean it isn't racist. It also doesn't mean that people can't call you out on that racism.

Also, you're putting your desire to darken your skin over those you will hurt by your actions. The message you are sending to the world is that your desire to darken your skin is more important than the feelings, concerns and well-being of the people your actions will harm. 

"The dictionary says racism involves believing your race to be superior and I don't personally believe that so this can't be racist!"

Please check out this comic that explains why using dictionary definitions of racism is problematic. 

Racism is a complex system that isn't adequately captured by a few sentences in a dictionary definition. Also, it's important to remember that dictionaries were, for the most part, written by white men who did not experience racism. Relying on their simplistic definitions is not very useful.

Moreover, what you believe influences your intention to do something, but it doesn't have any influence on its impact. It is very important to remember the difference between intention and impact. Just because you don't intend to be racist doesn't mean your actions can't have a racist impact.

Therefore, even if you don't think of your race as superior to another race, if you practice raceface, you're still doing something racist. Your intentions don’t change the fact that your actions had the consequence of being hurtful, offensive, and oppressive. Thus, raceface is racist regardless of whether or not you personally think your race is superior to another race.

And if you agree racism is bad, then why are you racefacing in the first place?

Also see: "I didn't intend to offend anyone and therefore no one should be offended!"

"But I don't think it's offensive!"

Just because something doesn't offend you, doesn't mean that it isn't offensive to other people. Just because it doesn't offend you, doesn't make it right.

Don't forget that people of color are negatively impacted by racefacing, and have said many, many times over many, many years that it is offensive. That it doesn't offend you doesn't change the fact that it offends a lot of people. Since this apparently doesn't bother you, you have no right to say that your feelings on this matter more than the people it actually harms.

If someone darkening their skin for cosplay doesn't offend you, please don't speak on behalf of, speak over, or dismiss the people it does offend a great deal.

"I have a friend who's a POC who says it's okay!"

Your friend doesn't get to speak for all people of color. Also, people of color are not a homogenous group.

There are some people of color out there who think it's okay or who don't care. But there are a hell of a lot of people of color who are saying that raceface is hurtful and racist. That some people say it's okay doesn't change the fact that a lot of people find it hurtful and racist!

It also doesn't excuse you doing something that is hurtful and racist. At the end of the day, raceface is hurting a lot of people. By ignoring the people it hurts and doing it anyway, you're willfully being hurtful.

"I'm doing raceface because I love the character!”

It doesn't really matter why you're doing it or if you have good intentions, it's still offensive.

Also, raceface is not a good way to show your love and respect for a character. Or the real life people the character represents.

"It's different when you do it for cosplay!"

Actually, it's not.

You may not be darkening your skin for a minstrel show but you’re still darkening your skin to look like another race. That’s still racefacing and that’s still bad.

Cosplay doesn't exist in a bubble. Cosplay communities don't somehow insulate you from the fact that the world is a racist place and that racefacing has a racist history. Cosplay communities are not "racism free" zones and cosplay is not a "get-out-of-racism-free" card. No matter your intentions, if you darken your skin for cosplay, it's still raceface and it's still racist.

Moreover, this argument ignores criticism coming from cosplayers who are impacted and offended by the practice. Many cosplayers are very, very upset about racefacing in cosplay communities and are very, very upset about how it makes said communities more racist, hostile, and unwelcoming.

Please also remember that non-cosplayers encounter cosplayers online and in real life. Cosplayers in raceface at conventions will not just be seen by con-goers. Photos of cosplayers in raceface on the internet will not just be seen by other cosplayers. There will be non-cosplayers seeing this practice who are going to be upset by it. Again, cosplay is not some kind of insulating bubble that keeps your actions from being racist.

Also see: "Ignoring the racist history of raceface" and "I didn't intend to offend anyone and therefore no one should be offended!"

"Raceface is okay if the race is fictional!"

If characters of this fictional world resemble real world races, then it's still problematic. No one cares if you paint your skin purple to represent an alien race that doesn't exist in real life, but darkening your skin to a skin tone that exists in real life is always a bad idea.

For instance, consider cosplayers who darken their skin to cosplay characters from Avatar the Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra. The world these series take place in is fictional, but that fictional world draws its inspiration from real life Asian and Indigenous peoples and cultures. The characters, despite being from a fictional world, still reflect real world peoples. Darkening your skin to look more like these characters is still raceface.

Moreover, some people paint themselves the color black to cosplay characters from fictional races. For example, when cosplaying dark elves. Painting your skin black immediately associates you with blackface. This is true even when you paint yourself black to be a fictional race like an elf. Do not do it. 

"I didn't intend to offend anyone and therefore no one should be offended!"

There is an important difference between intent and impact. Your intent could be good, but that does not change the impact of your actions.

You can have good intentions and still do something racist. You might raceface because you genuinely believe it makes your cosplay more "accurate" or because you love a character. But regardless of your intentions, if you raceface, your impact is racist and hurtful.

Also, even if you don't intend to offend someone, they can be offended by the way your actions impact them. Seeing people in raceface can cause people feelings like pain and anger. And they have every right to be offended. You telling them not to be offended isn't magically going to make things like their pain and anger go away.

If anything, you telling others they have no right to be offended just adds insult to injury, because it means you refuse to acknowledge the impacts of your actions: the harm you've caused others. It's like punching someone, but instead of apologizing for hurting them, telling them that they have no right to be upset about the bruising. Refusing to acknowledge the harm you've caused also means you refuse to do anything about it, like stopping racefacing or apologizing for your actions.

In short, no matter your intentions, you actions can negatively impact others. Please be aware of the impacts your actions have on other people. Telling people not to be offended isn't going to change the fact that you've offended them. If anything, denying the harm you've caused is going to offend them even more.

"But what about whiteface?"

Whiteface is not comparable to other kinds of racefacing. This is because of the very difference histories of the practices and because of how racism operates.

To quote Racebending:

The reality is that unlike blackface and the other –faces, whiteface has never been used on a sweeping basis, period, and was certainly not ever designed as a practice to prevent an entire population of white people from having the ability to represent themselves on screen. The images perpetrated by blackface, yellowface, brownface, and redface have resulted in stereotypes that have been used to justify discrimination, hate crimes, lynchings, and cultural genocide. The same cannot be said for whiteface.

Also see:

Academy Awards 2012: Putting Blackface in Context

Yes, Nick Cannon Can Do Whiteface. No, You Can’t Do Blackface. 

Why Wearing Blackface Isn’t OK on Halloween (Or Ever)

Why blackface is racist and why you cannot do it

"Here is a difference."

"You're just a feminist/social justice activist!"

That someone might be a feminist and/or activist doesn't change the fact that you're doing something racist by darkening your skin for cosplay.

These kinds of comments are used to distract people from the issue at hand by attacking the person pointing out that something is racist. This is a form of derailing. If you are unfamiliar with the practice of derailing, you can read up about it on this site.

"You're banning me from cosplaying darker-skinned characters!"

Someone telling you to stop racefacing to cosplay darker-skinned characters is not telling you that you can't cosplay darker-skinned characters. They're telling you to stop racefacing.

It's important to ask yourself why you think this is a "ban". It is possible and preferable to cosplay darker-skinned characters without racefacing.

"The meaning of raceface has changed over time!"

There are ways that raceface has changed over time, but that doesn't excuse it.

As Racebending points out, the blackface in Tropic Thunder, was very different from the racefacing of the 1900s. Tropic Thunder didn't overtly intend to make Black people seem inferior. However, the use of blackface in the film was still based on harmful stereotypes about Black people and it recalled the hurtful racist history of raceface. These are all still very bad (and traumatic!) things. Please see this article over at Racebending for more information.

It's important to remember that examples of raceface today, despite some changes, are still racist and can still be very hurtful. That there have been some changes does not excuse or justify the practice of raceface in cosplay. It's still dehumanzining and insulting, and it's still hurtful, not matter what the intent. The practice is still racist. Do not do it!

Moreover, in a lot of cases, when people talk about the meaning of raceface changing, they aren't talking about actual shifts in use. Instead, a lot of people think the raceface has changed because the words used to excuse it have changed. To, once again, quote Racebending:

All too often in conversations about race in the 2010s, it seems that the racial conversation is all about performing the same racist actions but justifying them with new words. The use of yellowface, or even blackface, can be justified if the director uses the term “post-racial” or “colorblind.”

People who think that racism is over or who think believe in "colorblindness" ("I don't see color!" "Seeing race is racist!") think the meaning of racefacing has changed, because they believe racism isn't as much of a thing now or that it is "over". Basically, if racism is "over", then racefacing isn't a problem. However, racism is still a lived reality worldwide and racefacing is still a very racist act.

Also see: "You think race matters and that's racist!"/"We are all one race: the human race!" and "Racism/raceface isn't a problem where I'm from."

"I'm darkening my skin, not yours! It doesn't impact you!"

Your actions impact people, even people you had no intention of ever impacting.

Racefacing impacts people in multiple ways. Here are some of those ways:

It's insulting and hurtful to see skin tone being treated as a costume accessory. This can be especially hurtful to people who have experienced colorism and racism.

No matter your intentions, racefacing recalls a racist, on-going history of racefacing, and of being dehumanized, stereotyped, and belittled. Recalling that history can be painful.

It’s a racist act, which makes it a hurtful act.

It sends the message that a racist act like raceface is acceptable in cosplay communities. When people defend the practice, they further reinforce this message that racism is acceptable.

The message this sends to cosplayers of color is: you are not valued. After all, if a racist act like raceface is being considered okay and no one is listening to your protests, then the message is that your feelings about it don't matter and, thus, that you don't matter.

Even if you think it's just your own skin that's being impacted, your choice to darken your skin has a much broader impact. It's just not true that it only impacts you. You might only be darkening your own skin, but your act impacts a lot of people and it impacts them negatively.

Also see: "It's just makeup!"/"This isn't even a big deal!", "I didn't intend to offend anyone and therefore no one should be offended!" and "It's different when you do it for cosplay!"

"People of color with lighter skin make their skin darker too so it's okay!"

No one said racefacing is something only white people can do. If a person of color with a lighter skin tone darkens their skin to look like someone from another race, that's still racefacing -- still using skin color as an accessory to look like another race. Racefacing, again, is a global issue and people all over the world and of many races are guilty of it.  

Here's where it gets a little more complicated and confusing: If a person of color with a lighter skin tone darkens their skin to look like anyone with darker skin, even someone of the same race, that's also still racefacing. This is problematic because of colorism. Colorism is a racist system that works within people of the same race, ethnicity and/or nationality and values people with lighter skin over people with darker skin. Colorism offers benefits to people of lighter skin while having serious negative impacts on people with darker skin, like discrimination, fewer opportunities, being understood as less beautiful and desirable, and lower self-esteem.

Darkening ones skin to a darker skin tone even within ones race can be extremely hurtful, especially to people with that darker skin tone who experience colorism. It still carelessly treats skin color as a costume accessory. It's still not okay.

Please check out the resources on the global hierarchy of race and colorism in: "Racism/raceface isn't a problem where I'm from." Also see the resources on these topics at the resources page.

"I'm part [nationality/ethnicity] so it's okay for me to do it!"

No, it's not. Darkening your skin for cosplay is racefacing and that's never okay. You being from the same nationality or ethnicity doesn't change that. Nationality and ethnicity overlap with, but are not the same thing as race.

Also, this argument doesn't taken into account the realities of colorism and the global hierarchy of race. Within ethnicities and nationalities and races, there is often a climate in which lighter-skinned people have more privilege than people with darker skin. This context can make darkening your skin problematic and hurtful, even if you're trying to make yourself look like someone else from your own nationality, ethnicity and/or race.

Please see: "People of color with lighter skin make their skin darker too so it's okay!"

Please check out the resources on the global hierarchy of race and colorism in: "Racism/raceface isn't a problem where I'm from." Also see the resources on these topics at the resources page.

"You think race matters and that's racist!"/"We are all one race: the human race!"

Race matters. And talking about race is not racist. After all, we need to be able to talk about race in order to combat racism!

It's claiming to not see race -- "colorblindness" -- that is racist, hence the term "colorblind racism". In fact, it's been proven by numerous studies that people who claim that they "don't see race" are more likely to condone racist acts!

Here are some resources on these topics:

Why Color Blindness Will NOT End Racism

When you say you 'don't see race', you’re ignoring racism, not helping to solve it

7 Reasons Why ‘Colorblindness’ Contributes to Racism Instead of Solves It

How Colorblindness Is Actually Racist

Abagond: colour-blind racism

Colorblind Ideology Is a Form of Racism

A lot of people confuse "colorblindness" (claiming to not see race) with equality. "Colorblindness" is not something that will lead to equality. It's a way of not seeing the barriers to equality. How can you address racism if you think of race as something that shouldn't be seen or talked about? How can you address the causes of racial oppression if you're unwilling to address them?

Also, this argument mistakenly thinks that people who think race matters are a barrier to equality. Since people who think race matters are often people who experience racism, saying something like "you think race matters and that's racist" ends up blaming the victims of racism for racism.

Far from being an anti-racist statement, saying things like "You think race matters and that's racist!" or "We are all one race: the human race!" are actually racist statements. (It's also worth noting that the term "colorblind racism" is ableist.)

Please learn more about racism by checking out the resources page.

"But I'm doing it for fun!"

Your decision to raceface has a direct impact on the ability of other people to have fun and feel valued in cosplay communities. The message you're sending is that your fun is more important than the fun of others, and that it's okay to do something racist as long as you're having fun doing it.

Moreover, if your idea of fun includes racial caricatures, you may also want to re-examine your definition of "fun".

Also see: "I didn't intend to offend anyone and therefore no one should be offended!"

"Cosplayers of color can make their skin lighter!"

This is one of the most ignorant and frankly offensive justifications out there. It assumes that lightening ones skin is the same as darkening ones skin, which could not be further from the truth. Skin lightening has a very different history and meaning than racefacing.

Please see the resources, particularly about colorism, listed in "Racism/raceface isn't a problem where I'm from."  and in the resources page.

Also see: "I'm part [nationality/ethnicity here] so it's okay for me to do it!"

"The only people complaining are white! This doesn't even matter to POC!"

This is just plain false. It matters to people of color. To argue that white people are the only ones complaining is to willfully ignore the cosplayers of color who have been speaking out for years!

Also, while it's problematic when a privileged group speaks over an oppressed group, white cosplayers still have a responsibility to educate themselves about raceface and to stand up against racism in our communities.

"How dare you call me a racist for racefacing!"

When someone tells you that what you're doing is racist, this kind of response says that you care more about your pride than you do about hurting people.

Stepping on someone's foot and doing something racist are not the same, but for the sake of a metaphor: Let's say that even if someone doesn't intend to, they end up stepping on your foot. When you point out that they are stepping on your foot, you would expect them to get off your foot, apologize, and to do what they can to make sure they don't step on your foot again in the future.

But when cosplayers of color have asked people to stop stepping on feet, the reaction of the people doing the foot-stepping has been to exclaim, "I'm not stepping on your foot! How dare you call me a foot-stepper!?"

Pointing out that you are doing something harmful is not intended as an attack on you. It's just someone saying that they'd really like it if you'd stop stepping on them.

When you choose to raceface for cosplay, it's like you're stepping on feet. You can yell about how you're not a foot-stepper, or you can apologize and stop stepping on feet. The choice is yours.

For some helpful strategies on how to reconceptualize being called out for doing something racist, check out this video. 

To sum up:

Darkening your skin for cosplay is raceface, raceface is racist, and racism is never okay.

There is no excuse for racefacing. Do not do it! Ever! For any reason!

  Racism

Racism 101 

Anti-Racism 101 

Racism 101 for White People

Racism 101 @ the Anti-Racism Resource Centre 

Systemic Racism for "Dummies"

What Is Systemic Racism? 

Abagond's Glossary 

We All Have Racial Bias 

Why Color Blindness Will NOT End Racism

7 Reasons Why ‘Colorblindness’ Contributes to Racism Instead of Solves It

How Colorblindness Is Actually Racist 

Jay Smooth: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race 

Prof. Robert Jensen Discusses Racism, White Supremacy and White Privilege (Part 1)

"what white people think racism is"

"[W]hy there is no such thing as racism against white people?"

Racism against white people does not exist.

Why there's no such thing as "Reverse Racism"

what is cultural appropriation, and how to avoid it

Racialicious

White Privilege

This Teacher Taught His Class A Powerful Lesson About Privilege

Tim Wise: On White Privilege 

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh 

What is White Privilege? (USA) 

A primer on privilege: what it is and what it isn't 

"It's hard to see racism why you're white" Resource Guide

How I discovered I am white

What I Have Learned Through These Conversations About Race

Dear Liberal Allies: what your college courses on oppression didn’t tell you

Oppressive by Default

Stop pushing me off cliffs.

Colorism and the Global Hierarchy of Race

The global hierarchy of race

"What's colorism?" 

The Clark Doll Experiment 

 Media Diversified: Colorism

What Dark-Skinned People Will Never Tell You

The Persistent Problem of Colorism: Skin Tone, Status, and Inequality

The Epidemic of Skin Bleaching Around the World

Colorism is Global: Thai Skin-Lightening Ad Uses Blackface, Says You “Need to Be White to Win”

Light Skinned Models Versus Dark Skinned Models – Is There a Preference?

‘You look like the help': the disturbing link between Asian skin color and status

'Unfair and lovely': South Asian women dare to be dark

Skin whitening big business in Asia

Colorism ruined my life growing up in Pakistan

Dark Skin, Light Masks: Colorism as an Adoptee in Korea

The Effects of Skin Color in the Americas

Is It Really Skin Deep?

Raceface + Examples

http://black-face.com/

http://brown-face.com/

http://yellow-face.com/

http://red-face.us/

Why Do People Still Use Blackface?

Why Wearing Blackface Isn’t OK on Halloween (Or Ever)

What's offensive about blackface?

Yellowface: A Story in Pictures 

Explainer: why blackface (and brownface) offend

Why Is Blackface Controversial? Just Look at Its History

What's offensive about blackface? Imagine you're from another planet...

Why blackface is racist and why you cannot do it

Redface Is Just as Offensive as Blackface

Step Away from the “Indian” Costume

Racebending.com

Disney Does Brownface in Moana Costume Misfire

Talking Back: A Protest of Yellowface at the Muny

Oh No They Didn't: French Vogue Does Blackface

Why blackface is still part of Dutch holidays

The Cloud Atlas Conversation: Yellowface, Prejudice, and Artistic License

The New Black: Why do the Dutch still love dressing in blackface?

“We’re A Culture, Not A Costume” Campaign Reminds Us: Don’t Be Racist On Halloween

Native American activists seek to eliminate 'redface'

Blackface Around the World

Germany Has a Blackface Problem

Why blackface is still part of Dutch holidays

Russians parade in blackface ahead of Cameroon-Germany match

Blackface Continues in Japan. In 2015.

Japan's blackface problem: the country's bizarre, troubled relationship with race

Japanese TV Rings In The New Year With Blackface

International fans petition to end the use of blackface on Korean television

Colorism is Global: Thai Skin-Lightening Ad Uses Blackface, Says You “Need to Be White to Win”

Blackface, Brownface and Black Lives Matter in Latin America

Peru’s blackface 'Negro Mama' continues to offend

Being Black in Colombia: The curious Son de Negro of Carnaval

French carnival under fire over 'blackface' night

Raceface in Cosplay

Blackface in the Cosplay Community

Final word on blackface from Jay Justice 

Blackface in Cosplay is (Still) Not Ok

I see that I need to remind folks not to do black/brownface... again

Dear white cosplayers 

Cosplay and the Question of Contextual Sensitivity

"What if you love that character or person? Are white people just never allowed to dress up as a black person?" 

Why Blackface in Cosplay and Costume Appropriation Sucks

White woman in blackface at Comic-Con causes stir among activists of color

Stop Whitewashing: Assassin’s Creed Cosplay

"needed this on my blog”

“Anyone can cosplay any character!” just as long as you don’t use makeup to change your race!

Topics for further research and googling:

systemic racism

racism vs discrimination vs prejudice

white privilege

colonization

slavery

colorism

cultural appropriation 

blackface

brownface

yellowface

redface