Is it racist for a white person to go to a fancy dress party as a black celebrity?

[Wimbledonwomble]

For example - Michael Jackson, Prince, Tina Turner, Scary Spice? Fab costumes for most of these are widely available on line so clearly popular. I have to admit it didn't even cross my mind when discussing possible costumes with a friend, I just thought they were good costumes, but she thinks it could be seen as racist and inappropriate. I'm really not sure tbh!

I'd steer clear TBH. It's not worth the hassle.

Plenty of amazing icons of your own race you can go as.

I hate drag though as I see it as completely offensive to women but no-one seems to care about that.

I was scary spice in a spice girls tribute act back in the 90s.

I just wore lots of leopard print and platform shoes.

Didn’t need to darken my skin or wear an Afro wig for people to know which spice I was.

There’s a difference between a costume and racism.

As others have said, it's quite simple:
wear a Prince costume = not racist
wear a Prince costume AND darken your skin in anyway = racist

Easy!

Tbh, even most white people would need to 'whiten up' for true reflection of MJ, he was incredibly light by the end.

Dress how you like but don't do blackface or exaggerations related to racial stereotypes, it's not exactly hard to not paint your face.

As long as the costume is nice and done right you will be fine. Same like millions of people who dress up as native americans.

Yes, as long as it looks nice it's fine to treat something that has cultural significance to others as a fancy dress costume. Please look up cultural appropriation.

Clueing4locks did it perfectly

No Aladdin in case it offends the Chinese

This comment is incredible 😂😂😂

I think the costume is fine but blacking up is obviously racist

@JustDanceAddict
Why did you feel the need to ask something so offensive to a work colleague?
If he said yes you’d most likely complain he’s over sensitive. If you asked me this at work I’d report you to HR as I have right to work without being harassed so some idiot could prove a racist point.

I wouldn't do it.

I tend to stay away from these threads as the ignorance is always shocking but

I asked a black colleague if he’s be offended if a white person blacked-up for fancy dress (rather than cultural appropriation) and he said he wouldn’t be fazed by that.

Your colleague really does not speak for all people of colour. Plus he may have felt awkward by your ignorant question.

What is even the point of blacking up for a costume? If it’s not clear who it is without the colour then your costume is shite. If you must paint yourself dress up as a smurf.

You wouldn't expect a black person to paint themselves white if they were dressing up as Sleeping Beauty or something
I would. Sleeping Beauty is traditionally white. If you don't go the whole hog to look like someone (whether it's face paint, coloured hair, body padding or whatever) then surely you're just you in a different outfit and not that character? Fair enough not blacking up to be a generic black person, but if you're being someone specific then you do the whole look.

I think it's fine to just wear the iconic costume for which the celebrity was widely known.

Plus he may have felt awkward by your ignorant question.
Or that might have been his genuine opinion, because while he doesn't speak for all people of colour he does speak for some and he is certainly allowed to speak for himself!

Well I completely disagree that you need to change your race at all for a costume. Be it for sleeping beauty, Tina Turner or a Chinese Aladdin.

Nobody seems to say the same about the film white chicks

Nobody says anything about that movie as we're all trying to forget it ever happened...

White Chicks is different anyway because white people aren't an oppressed class.

I think dressing as an icon of a different race (and signifying who you are with their non-race-related trademarks) is fine but blacking up or picking out any race-related features is not ok.

As a white woman, I wouldn't personally wear an Afro wig because black women's hair is so political, but if I saw someone else doing that and it was an integral part of that icon's signature look, I would think it ill-advised and potentially offensive but I feel that would be a slightly more grey area than blacking up.

Sleeping Beauty is a fairytale character though- she could be any 'race', as she is completely fictitious.

Just the thought of a fancy dress party fills me with absolute horror

I recently watched a day time panel show where they were discussing a viral video of a man who had dressed up as Samuel L Jackson and had used dark face paint to change his skin colour. The host asked the audience to raise their hand if they found it offensive and two white people raised their hands - the vast majority of the audience were black yet not one of them raised theirs. Of course they don't represent everyone but I just thought it was interesting

The Disney film has Aladdin as Arabic, but in the original story, he's definitely Chinese.
It was added to 1001 nights by a Frenchman, it wasn't in older versions of the book.
So PP was correct
He's generally portrayed as Chinese in pantomime too.

I asked a black colleague if he’s be offended if a white person blacked-up for fancy dress (rather than cultural appropriation) and he said he wouldn’t be fazed by that.

Aside from the fact he doesn't speak for all people of colour as PPs have said, when someone asks me something like that about aspects of me where I would count as an oppressed class, or (more commonly) where they use a slur and tell someone else I'm cool with it ('Longines doesn't mind..do you?'), for years, I found it too awkward to say that yes, I found it offensive and would just pretend I was fine with it, because I'm the freak who's gay or whatever and the people having a laugh about it are 'normal'.

It's far easier in that situation to pretend to be fine because people in oppressed classes have enough shit to deal with without being thought of as uptight and easily offended too.

I wouldn't take your black colleague's words at face value in that context, even in terms of what he told you he personally feels, frankly.

Also, aladdin was chinese? Was he not arabic?

The original version of Aladdin, written by Antoine Galland, is set in China.

^ Cross-posted with Weeds!

I always love these anecdotes from people that spoke to “representatives” from the black community who basically always say, “Racism? Doesn’t bother me! Carry on!”

@AllPizzasGreatAndSmall so should we all stick to "our race" costumes? If the costume is done tastefully there should be no problem at all if a white person wants to go dressed as their black idol, or their favourite Wild west movie character or if black person wants to go as their white idol or favourite wild west movie character or any race as any other race.
I grew up on amazing Wild West movies nad if I had a figure for it I would definitely love to dress up as Nscho-tschi because I absolutely adored her. Should I not be allowed that since I am white?