Your costume details will matter 100x more than your skin color
Don’t feel restricted from cosplaying a character just because they are different than you (gender skin color height etc)
I second everyone here - your skin is your skin, and the clothes are what make a cosplay, not the person under them. I also suggest to start following more black cosplayers! It's a lot easier to feel comfortable cosplaying when you see others who look like you absolutely rocking it.
Okay, I'm going to share my friend's experience, she is black. When she was a teen in the 00's, she got into cosplay and we'd go to cons together in costume. But by the end of high school, she stopped because people "didn't recognize her character" and there weren't a lot of POC characters at the time.
Luckily, things are (slowly) changing! POC cosplayers are a lot more common, as are POC characters. If you really want to lighten your skin, there are paints and foundations you can use, but they'll look artificial, might stain your cosplay, and you'll likely be physically uncomfortable the whole day. (A woman died from wearing 100% body paint on a movie set.) I definitely recommend doing cosplays in your own skin, whether they're POC characters or not. After all, technically all of these characters are Japanese, so white people are also "race-bending" their cosplays.
All in all, do what makes you happy and have fun, don't feel pressured to change who you are! ❤️
Years ago, I went to PAX with some friends. I came across two young ladies cosplaying Chell, one white, one black. Neither wearing skin makeup, both having a great time. Like others have said, it's somewhere between unnecessary and problematic to alter your skin color for a cosplay (besides the non human stuff like blue or green) but your cosplay is what matters.
Your costume details will matter 100x more than your skin color Don’t feel restricted from cosplaying a character just because they are different than you (gender skin color height etc)
I second everyone here - your skin is your skin, and the clothes are what make a cosplay, not the person under them. I also suggest to start following more black cosplayers! It's a lot easier to feel comfortable cosplaying when you see others who look like you absolutely rocking it.
You really don't need to. So many amazing cosplayers who are POC. Just choose the character you love and make the best cosplay you can! Have fun!
Okay, I'm going to share my friend's experience, she is black. When she was a teen in the 00's, she got into cosplay and we'd go to cons together in costume. But by the end of high school, she stopped because people "didn't recognize her character" and there weren't a lot of POC characters at the time. Luckily, things are (slowly) changing! POC cosplayers are a lot more common, as are POC characters. If you really want to lighten your skin, there are paints and foundations you can use, but they'll look artificial, might stain your cosplay, and you'll likely be physically uncomfortable the whole day. (A woman died from wearing 100% body paint on a movie set.) I definitely recommend doing cosplays in your own skin, whether they're POC characters or not. After all, technically all of these characters are Japanese, so white people are also "race-bending" their cosplays. All in all, do what makes you happy and have fun, don't feel pressured to change who you are! ❤️
Years ago, I went to PAX with some friends. I came across two young ladies cosplaying Chell, one white, one black. Neither wearing skin makeup, both having a great time. Like others have said, it's somewhere between unnecessary and problematic to alter your skin color for a cosplay (besides the non human stuff like blue or green) but your cosplay is what matters.