I used to be really into cosplay and the cosplay community and these kinds of questions about makeup and skin color would come up regularly. And without fail, the consensus always ends up being that it’s a bad idea. The rule tends to be that you shouldn’t change your skin color unless it’s a fantasy color like purple, green, etc. It very likely will be offensive to someone. If you’re okay with offending people, that’s your choice to make. But if you do this, especially at a convention or if you post it online, there will very likely be people who are bothered by it. The fact that you felt the need to ask usually means that there will be at least a few people bothered by this.

This is a bit of an atypical situation though since you’re black and you’re portraying the character as black. You’re not portraying a different race than your own. I think that’s what bothers most people. Especially if it’s white people mimicking a different race.

But although this isn’t mimicking a different race, it is mimicking a real skin condition that people can be born with and it can be a struggle for them. People may see that as insensitive to their struggle.

Personally, I don’t think your costume idea is a major offense, and you probably won’t get too much backlash for it, especially considering that you are portraying yourself as your own race. But some people will definitely see it as an offense. If you don’t post it online, and you’re not going to a huge convention, it might not be an issue for you at all.

But if I was a person with vitilligo, I might be a lot more upset by it, especially considering that the character is a horror character meant to be scary to look at. Imagine having this disorder and running into someone at a convention who is wearing the thing you’re insecure about to look scary. It might be a bit hurtful and make them feel worse about their condition if it’s something they struggle with or have been bullied for.

Unrelated to your issue, but I saw another comment in this thread saying that portraying black characters as a cosplay is different than doing Vaudeville-style blackface, but most people in the cosplay community would disagree with that. Nobody has a problem with people playing characters who are a different race than the cosplayer, but the consensus tends to be that you shouldn’t change your skin color to do it. It’s heavily discouraged. “I can’t take off my race at the end of the day” is something I’ve heard from black cosplayers a lot when this discussion comes up.

I’ve seen white people cosplay black characters in full makeup at conventions and it doesn’t go well. A white woman cosplaying Michonne From The Walking Dead in full makeup was the talk of a con I went to once. Lots of “oh my god, did you see that? Why would she think that’s a good idea?” Changing skin color makeup is definitely a big deal in the cosplay community, and a lot of people have zero tolerance for it, even for this kind of thing.

Anyway, this has gotten very long. I’m not going to tell you what I think you should do, but I wanted to share my experiences with this. I don’t think your intentions are hurtful. But if you choose to do the costume, you need to be okay with the fact that it will very likely offend or be hurtful to some people who see any skin tone changing as completely unacceptable. Consider where you’ll be wearing it and the kind of people who might be there and make a decision from there. I don’t think it’s really very offensive, but I’m a white woman and I don’t have vitiligo so I can’t speak for everyone. I have a few mixed feelings on the issue, because it’s complicated. But personally I would rather avoid doing something potentially hurtful, even if it’s unlikely to happen, than risk upsetting someone or making them feel bad about themselves because of what I chose to do.

I hope that helps you make your decision, and I wish you good luck no matter what you decide.

I’m not saying cats never do weird things, and the cat in this picture may be perfectly fine. But if my cat were doing this, I would take them to the vet to make sure because it could be a symptom of something serious. That’s all I’m saying.

I think some people just want to look at cute photos of cats without thinking about negative things. I can understand that. But if I posted a photo of my cat exhibiting what could be a symptom of a serious problem that I wasn’t aware of, I would want someone to tell me. I know OP said this is a repost, but I still think it’s important for anyone who loves their cats to be able to tell if something is wrong. This doesn’t look like normal cat behavior to me.

Not sure if this is your photo, but what this cat is doing could be a sign of a serious medical problem. If this is your cat, I would get this floofer to the vet ASAP.

https://cats.com/cat-head-pressing

I searched for more information about this picture, and found more from the photo shoot. Classic horror stars with cats. Pretty adorable.

Link to the photo set

This one?

Have you ever tried Wim Hof breathing techniques? I also have ADHD and I have a really hard time with meditation but it works for me.

It also sounds like it could be possible that this is at least partially an issue with your body chemistry. There are so so many little things that can affect the brain, like maybe a medication or any other drugs you might take, a food you’re not fully aware that you’re a bit allergic to, inflammation, a malfunctioning brain chemistry such as an anxiety disorder, etc.

Here’s a link to the Wim Hof video if you’re interested. Just be aware that people get weirdly cultish about him, and I’m not sure I would follow everything he recommends, but this particular exercise helps my anxiety a lot.

https://youtu.be/tybOi4hjZFQ?si=yHTjE7QlNITNP6ff

I’m concerned again.

I’m concerned.