Ok, please don’t kill me for asking this…

I’m black, and I wanna do an Afrocentric cosplay of Jeff, the Killer. I’m planning on getting dreads or braids for it, but I also thought about maybe doing some Vitiligo-type makeup for it. but idk if that’s okay to do or if that’s offensive.

I don’t have vitiligo, I never did. The reason I ask if it’s okay to imitate this is because Jeff the Killer is canonically a burn victim due to either fire or chemicals. Sometimes, if you have dark skin and get burned like that, you’ll have white patches left behind once the skin heals which look a lot like Vitiligo. I’m unsure of what lines can and cannot be crossed when it comes to doing theatrical/character makeup other than “don’t do blackface”

Im autistic, so if some of the stuff i say is offensive just be aware that wasn’t my intention, thanks!

    • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      Burn scars on black skin make white patches tho… Especially when healed

      That’s why I asked <:p

      Tbh the more I research about burns on dark skin, the more I realize doing Vitiligo makeup is unavoidable, as burns can very much trigger vitiligo anyways.

      spoiler ![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8c8a976d-19d6-4270-b501-36799ba68bb8.png):::
      • lath@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Depends. Which do you prefer, explaining the incorrect scars or the the correct vitiligo if needed?

        • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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          2 months ago

          Tbh ima have to practice some scar makeup first. And true Vitiligo is just an autoimmune disease and not caused by external factors as far as I know. But burns can trigger it or something similar to it. To me, Vitiligo is just the death of pigmentation in the skin

          • lath@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Yeah, might be overthinking it. Possible there’s no need to worry about it being an issue.

            Enjoy the party.

          • EleventhHour@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Here’s the thing: vitiligo simply depletes melatonin from the skin. The skin is otherwise the same in texture, and just looks very light spots.

            A scar, however, is damaged skin, regrown. It has a very different texture than normal skin, and will also look different— and, even if it has triggered vitiligo in the affected areas will still be (mostly) the texture of scar tissue. It would look/feel different than a site affected only by vitiligo.

            This effect can be achieved by using skin glues or latex paint on the skin. I’m sure you could find even better methods for re-creating scar tissue on the skin on YouTube. From there, you can color the makeup lighter in order to simulate vitiligo.

      • rowrowrowyourboat@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        This is incorrect. This is not a healed scar at all. That’s a very fresh burn wound exposing the flesh underneath without the melanin layer.

        You can literally see the wound is fresh and is peeling off. Not a healed scar.

        Go look up healed burn scars on black skin. The images can be pretty gruesome, but the melanin mostly returns.

        • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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          2 months ago

          I legit already did that and it’s both. it can get lighter or darker.

          spoiler

          spoiler

          All of it depends on the type of burn, severity, and the person’s skin. Jeff the killer became lighter after the burn, so to me it would make sense that, if my skin was burned, Id have both dark spots and white blotches leftover on my skin.

        • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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          2 months ago

          I did do that, I cant link the other images I found tho, but sometimes It doesn’t come back. It depends on the severity of the burn

          And in the context of JEFF THE KILLER, his melanin doesn’t come back either. After the burn, his hair turns black and his skin turns white. That’s how he’s always looked. So the skin being turned white regardless is true to the character. Hence why I want to have white splotches in the makeup.

  • waz@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I have vitaligo. I’m just one person, but I wouldn’t care. Though, perhaps I’m not the best person to ask. Sometimes I forget about it until someone else makes an awkward comment. Personally, I think it’s kinda cool.

    • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      THIS- FUCKING- FINALLY GOOD LORD.

      I really dunno why I asked cus like- 9/10 the people saying “ouuh uhmm, that could really hurt someone feelings” or that it’d hurt their feelings are either white or don’t have vitiligo. This question woulda been better if I’d ask about it in a black community but there’s not a lot of active ones here on lemmy it seems like? idk

  • CaptDust@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    I think it sounds like a cool spin on the character and you should do it. You’re not faking vitiligo, you’re faking burns, and I agree with your assessment that skin will look like that while healing… chances of anyone getting upset about this seems low.

        • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Not really. I guess it can seem that way if you’re young, but it wasn’t always like this. This attitude didn’t start until the web went mainstream.

            • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              That’s talking about children not meeting the standards of previous generations, which is a different sentiment than someone always getting offended by the most mundane things.

          • gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 months ago

            violently spasms while staring deeply and directly into your soul

            SAME AS IT EVER WAS!

            (also I think you should totally do it, if anyone’s too dumb to at least ASK what your outfit is given context before getting mad is the problem, not you trying to do a cool thing that someone might mistake for another thing, especially since Jeff is a pretty recognizable character)

      • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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        2 months ago

        I’m curious what they’d call me if I am being offensive.

        Ableist? - I got severe learning disabilities Racist? - ??? … I ran out of 'ism words

  • Sundial@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    If it’s true to the character the I don’t see a problem with it. The whole issue with things like blackface is more of an issue with stereotypes and racial profiling that are typically associated with it. This isn’t a race thing, so I don’t see that being a problem here. You’re just cosplaying a character you like.

    • Glide@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      Right. People fail to recognize that blackface is a practice created by white people to entertain other white people by making fun of black people, portraying them as stupid and uncultured. While I think asking questions about what is and isn’t okay is good practice, there’s no cultural history connected to what OP is asking if he should do. That said, I am not someone with the skin conditions in question, so I’m not the one to decide whether it is “fine”.

      I do want to offer the argument that you should do your best not to give people opportunities to miscontrue your intent. You are correct that, in some cases, black burn victims can have lighter patches of skin where they were burned, but this is both not universal and not an experience everyone will have had. If you’re making a cosplay that requires a bit of mental work on the viewers behalf, you probably don’t also want it to be a cosplay which could be perceived as insensitive if people fail to make those connections or put in that work.

    • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      JTK Is white, so his burn scars are way different than how they’d be on white skin. In fact, his burns are the reason he’s paper white to begin with

  • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I tend to be pretty sensitive about that kind of thing, and it doesn’t get my hackles up at all. Not familiar with the character though either. If there are people who you can trust, do a test run of the cosplay and show them pictures, see how they feel. It’s going to depend on the exact vibes, yanno?

    • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      On the top is Fanon JTK and the bottom is a more lore accurate version of him.

      Every character in the creepypasta fandom so far is paper white, and if they arent white then their some inhuman color or a beast… For years, the fandom has always been dominated by WHITE people :p. so all of the characters are white or European in some way

      In his origin story, we was caught in a fight with one of his bullies when the bully has splashed jeff’s face with bleach before lighting him on fire. After healing up and taking off the bandages, dude went nuts about how “beautiful” he was, before cutting off his eyelids so he wouldnt sleep and slicing a smile into his face. After that, he killed his family and did some other spooky shit ig.

      The vitiligo makeup is a design choice that I MADE. I wanted him to have an afro-centric look to him. to replace the scene hairstyle with large, matted dreads, and to add white splotches or scars to his skin. It was after the accident that the dude snapped due to his face no longer looking like his face. thats why I wanted to add areas of white scare tissue or vitiligo to his skin. I’m not doing it just cause, I’m doing it cus im black, and being able to put my own afro-centric spin on things, on a fandom that I like thats only really been dominated by white characters, is cool as shit to me. The vitiligo appearance is just another Black design choice I made cus its cool asf, it’s accurate to how dark skin can react from certain injuries, and just an overall look that is unique to version of Jeff the Killer. In my mind, if I was him and was burned the same way he was; my black skin was now covered with various A-symmetrical, leathery white splotches; yea I’d prolly go crazy too. This is how I interoperated my race-swapped version of em

      • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I really love the thinking behind the idea, and it sounds like a striking image. I’d say go for it. Still best to get a test run in with some feedback; same as any new cosplay. Hope you end up wanting to share somewhere on Lemmy when you do it

  • Boomkop3@reddthat.com
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    2 months ago

    Hi, I’m white and autistic. I think that’s a really cool idea!

    If you’re worried people might get the wrong idea, you could attenuate the scars with a red edge or something to make it look more like a scar/wound

  • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I mean, let’s think less about the world at large and think about the audience in particular for your costume. Do the people who are going to see your costume, them specifically, are they going to get upset if you don’t quite nail the line between scar tissue and vitiligo? Or are they going to give you high fives on your awesome costume and makeup job? (I think it’s gonna be the second one, just personally but you would know better than me)

    Edit:also please let us see the finished version I love halloween and costume stuff

  • broton33@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I think you’re OK as long as you’re genuine and respectful. It sounds like you’re interested in this character and share your interest in the story with others (so they can be in on your fun too). Go for it, it’s your life :)

    • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      Yessssssss. i always loved creepypasta as a kid. Sadly, being in fandoms like those were seen as a “White people” kinda thing. There weren’t any black creepypastas to even begin with tbh… I’m hoping my cosplay may spark some interest in both the community and with other black folks :3

      I also just love adding my own spin on stuff when I can (^v^)

    • Cock_Inspecting_Asexual@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      Dunno how they wouldnt notice the red eye contacts, the bloodied knife and hoodie, and the cut smile on my face before going “oh hey that kinda looks like Vitiligo” but I’ll try!!

  • sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    My mom has vitiligo and this doesn’t seem like it offensive, since it is part of a larger costume. Probably ok at a costume party with close friends or in a play.