Diversity In Cosplay
While the cosplayers of color had a leg-up on the wig
front, it’s impossible to discuss the environment with-
out tackling the more substantial issues. Cosplayers of
color have always existed, but often they have held back
on displaying their work publicly for fear of hate. One of
the most prominent recent instances of this has been
the casting of the beautiful Anna Diop as the charac-
ter Starfire in an upcoming Teen Titans live action film.
When Diop was confirmed for the role many fans got
their panties in a twist as a black woman was playing
an orange, cartoon alien, who they thought should be
white. While the irony of internet trolls getting mad over
cartoons is amusing, it doesn’t distract from the lack of
diversity in animation and in the cosplay community.
As interest in Japanese animation has become more
mainstream, we’ve seen a massive rise in people of all
backgrounds coming together to enjoy, and celebrate
through cosplay. These days more POC cosplayers than
ever are joining the space, and while there are still haters
and trolls out there, we are excited to see how much
progress they’ve made and how much more they intend
to do.
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