28 Days of Black Cosplay

by MC Brooks, Lead Contributor for GGR

Cosplay is an area of fandom that has exploded in recent years. In the past, it seemed like it was reserved solely for specific fans of specific fandoms that you’d only really see if you attended conventions or belonged to one of the many groups on social media. Nowadays, it feels like everybody has participated in cosplay or they have at least have shown an interest in it. I don’t believe that’s a bad thing, and I’d be a complete hypocrite if I didn’t mention that I am one of those people.

Like any hobby or activity, cosplay is supposed to be fun. Unfortunately, gatekeeping is something that is very pervasive in the nerd community. Nobody should have to PROVE that they’re a “true fan” in order join in on the fun that everyone is having. I’m proud to say that here at GGR, we don’t stand for any kind of gatekeeping. This stuff is for EVERYBODY.

So I preface all of that information because I wanted to highlight a hashtag that I’ve been following throughout this entire month. That hashtag is #28daysofblackcosplay. With February also being black history month, it makes sense that this would also be the time to celebrate black people who have embraced the world of cosplay and created some amazing representations of characters from all across the nerd spectrum. It warms my heart to see people becoming creative with how they showcase these characters. It’s ultimately important that this hashtag exists.

I mentioned gatekeeping in one of the above paragraphs, and that is something that black nerds know all too well. Many of the spaces we find ourselves in when we want to connect with others are full of those who don’t look like us. It’s bad enough that we’re looking to find representation in the content but it also hurts when we can’t find it in our communities as well. This leads to a lot of gatekeeping when we want to cosplay certain characters or depict certain in a different light. “[Insert character here] isn’t black so you can’t be her” or “[Insert character here]’s hair doesn’t look like that so you’re bastardizing them”. These are the things that you’d often hear in comment sections and sometimes even in person. We shouldn’t have a community that openly discriminates but this is an unfortunately reality for people of color. With the creation of a hashtag, we are able to find others who are like us. We’re able to support others who are like us. We’re able to build community in a way that we were previously unable to. This is a celebration of diversity. This is an acknowledgement that everyone is valid in their desire to participate in this regardless of how they identify. That’s the beauty of this.

I know that *I* am late in writing this but it’s been a particularly busy month for me and I really needed to gather my thoughts. That said, I did not want this month to end without encouraging people to look up the hashtag on all social media platforms and to enjoy all of the wonderful cosplays that exist. Please do yourself a favor and support these amazing people who have dedicated many hours and various amounts of money and resources in order to bring ideas to life. The cosplay community has grown a ton in recent years and it’s not just restricted to people who identify as nerds. Our community is better when we can openly embrace that we are all different but our identities are valid because we share a common love.

Check out some great pics from some awesome black cosplayers below! In order of appearance: @nycplayboy78, @sakamotoghoulcosplay, @serialrhymekilla, @solsnow_, @Tinkertotcosplay, and @Trillatrillcosplay. Make sure you give them a follow! Thanks for sharing your awesome cosplay guys!