The Pitters' Place

Ok, so I have no idea if this is an example of blackface or not:



Peter Pan and his shadow costumes... My guess if I had to make one would be that because this costume isn't of a black person, that this isn't blackface, and therefore not racist. But then, what do I know? Is it racist just based on the fact that it's still making your face black?

Also, does it matter if it's facepaint? In this picture, it's just a nylon or whatever covering. If it would actual facepaint, then suddenly it might look a lot more like blackface...

She shadow isn't trying to be a black person, just a shadow and shadow's color is black.

I'd agree with Mur. It's someone dressing up as Peter Pan's shadow. Can't really do that without going in all black.

Not sure how I'd feel if he wasn't wearing the clothing, if he'd just painted himself black it would kinda be blackface, but then again, he's not dressing up as a person of black ethnicity, he's dressing up as something that due to it's very nature, is black. I'm not sure really.

That doesn't look like blackface to me. And if he painted his face black it would look like blackface, but I guess it wouldn't be. But I don't like commenting in this stuff because it's not my context and I'm racist so... what do I know??

I probably wouldn't have thought of that as blackface....but since we live in an anti-black world where black skin is denigrated, I wouldn't be surprised if some folks are taken aback or suspicious of it. Have people been calling it blackface?

Cassius Clay wrote:I probably wouldn't have thought of that as blackface....but since we live in an anti-black world where black skin is denigrated, I wouldn't be surprised if some folks are taken aback or suspicious of it. Have people been calling it blackface?

I haven't really heard/read much about it at all; aside from a screencap of the comments section of some article, in which a person said "isn't this racist?" and the quip of "news flash: Peter Pan's shadow is racist". At the least I think can all agree that if someone suggests that something might be racist, the correct response is never to dismiss it out-of-hand as a ridiculous notion; but rather to step back and question if perhaps it really is racist.

Calling a shadow racist for being black, would be like calling black clothing racist or night time racist or tires racist.

Why does Peter Pan have boobs?

CashRules wrote:Why does Peter Pan have boobs?

Because boobs make everything better.

I think it is a cool costume idea

CashRules wrote:Why does Peter Pan have boobs?

She's dressing up in male-face. Misandry!

Islandmur wrote:Calling a shadow racist for being black, would be like calling black clothing racist or night time racist or tires racist.

I'm sure there are bloggers out there who believe that, and some misanthropes ready to write treatises on the good points they make.

Doubt it; that would be akin to describing a Batman costume as blackface. Blackface by definition requires the intent to physically resemble a black person, which a shadow is not. People might mistakenly construe it as such though if they didn't know what the costume was meant to be.

You doubt something occurs because it would require people to be mistaken for it to occur? Might I direct you to your "Are people just stupid" thread?

That is one hell of an amazing costume idea.

I... can't tell if you're joking or not about the black face thing.

You doubt something occurs because it would require people to be mistaken for it to occur? Might I direct you to your "Are people just stupid" thread?

No, not that it would be blackface if they were mistaken, but rather that they might wrongly think it is and that's why they might get offended. (and they would still be mistaken). 'Doubt' was the wrong choice of word. It is not blackface.

I don't think this is Blackface. For it to qualify as such, they have to be painting their face in mimicry of a black character or person. At least that's how I'd qualify it, but if your just dressing up as Pan's shadow or some other costume that happens to be black, that's fine. Not blackface nor racist.

WayOfTheNomad wrote:I don't think this is Blackface. For it to qualify as such, they have to be painting their face in mimicry of a black character or person. At least that's how I'd qualify it, but if your just dressing up as Pan's shadow or some other costume that happens to be black, that's fine. Not blackface nor racist.

Welcome to the board!