Halloween Costume -- drow or blackface

[Bullgrit]

Seeing this thread http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/312647-drow-real.html and the pics it links to gave me a cool idea for Halloween.

I usually wear a costume and/or makeup and/or prosthetics for Halloween. I have a pretty extensive makeup set for the day, (including ear points, and a spider ring). I have everything for a modern-day [Urban Arcana] drow costume except a white wig -- but I could spray color my hair, (I've done it before).

Sitting here thinking about it now, it gives me a little thrill at the idea of going as a drow for Halloween. But then the thought struck me:

Most people aren't going to know what a drow is. Would it look like I'm going blackface? Eww. That's a big steaming pile of something I don't want to touch with a stick.

What do you think? Would modern-day drow be too close to something offensive? (I don't have drow-like fantasy armor/weapons.)

Bullgrit

 

[Jack7]

I've never used the Drow in D&D, and don't much care for the race as a monster group. They just don't interest me, but not for sake of appearance. Just the whole spider worship, dumb culture thing to me. But if I'm not mistaken they have black skin and long, straight white hair, right? They're corrupted, underground Elves, if I'm not mistaken.

I doubt that could be confused with going "blackface" as in Vaudeville, Negro stereotype.

As for me I'd probably recognize it as a Drow, depending on the costume, but most (general population) probably wouldn't. But that might depend on the age and area of your Halloween parties. But in any case I wouldn't associate jet black skin (most blacks are not true Negroes anyway and nowhere near jet black in appearance, they are Negroid, just as most whites aren't true Caucasians or nearly that pale looking, they are Caucasoid) and long straight white hair with "blackface."

I showed my wife (who is black) your post and she said she wouldn't consider it blackface either, that the idea wouldn't occur to her, unless you were also dressed as a Vaudeville act. We live in South Carolina and I don't know anyone that I would think would have the blackface allusion as a first impression. My kids wouldn't even know what blackface was if we hadn't explained it to them one time while studying old films as part of their homeschool studies.

Course neither one of us are political-correct types, but I assume no-one would think that nowadays unless you specifically also dressed in costume like a blackface stereotype.

That is to say just the skin color and the hair wouldn't make me or my wife think "blackface," that'd also take a costume and a manner of behavior while in costume.

I think the days where that kind of automatic, or only associating, are long gone. Except maybe in certain enclaves in big cities.

Far as I'm concerned, if you wanna go Drow go flat Drow-out.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Test it out in the security of your own home. Then post pictures here. We'll tell you if it looks offensive.

I can't imagine it would unless your urban drow is a gaudy pimp.

 

[GSHamster]

The thing is that you may end up offending *some* people, even if you don't offend *all* people. Especially if it's a touchy subject like blackface.

Like, if you saw some white kid dressed up in blackface, and you took him to task for it, and he told you he was a elf, is that really going to placate someone who is upset with you? If anything, they'll think you're being even more offensive.

I would avoid it.

 

[Wycen]

I was the the archive of the local museum digging through documents several months ago when the curator and a board member pulled out a picture and started talking about it and asked me if the picture should be put up for display. It was the local theater company in the turn of the 19/20th century all in blackface. Though it was historically interesting, the photo is not hanging in display. of course, I know now 6 months later that very little changes in the display area.

 

[Hand of Evil]

It will be the ears that tell everyone you are and dark elf.

Go with the grey blue dark elf just to be sure.

 

[Deset Gled]

You will be fine as long as you make an effort for the costume to appear non-human. I recommend using makeup with a blueish hue to it, adding elf ears (or eye makeup, or other facial mods) and doing something abnormal with your hair* (preferably a wig of some sort).

Whatever you do, do not use any type of white or red makeup to enhance your lips.

*Edit: Long straight hair is probably your best bet, with blue being the least offensive color. Short frizzy hair or dreadlocks are right out.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Senor Chang, please cue the AD&D episode from Community...

 

[Relique du Madde]

Say you are a night elf from WoW and when someone saids "they are purple" give them a pained look and say "I'm colour blind."

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