Anonymous asked: An extension of that "a culture, not a costume" stuff. What about things that are no longer part of a culture? Such as a pasty white girl wearing darker hose and makeup to be Cleopatra or an Egyptian goddess; a guy donning a long white wig and beard to go as Moses; a bit of skin darkening (or lightening in some cases I supposed) for a Neanderthal costume; Julius Caesar, pirates, Esmerelda-type gypsies, etc. For that matter is it EVER okay to change skin/hair color? Like dark brown for a wolfman.
Being a wolfman and dressing up like sexy Pocahontas are completely, completely different.
The short answer is no, I don’t think it’s ever okay to use someone’s skin colour or cultural markers as an accessory for a “fun” costume. Dress as one of the other millions of options.