Over the weekend, Texas’s Alamo City Comic Con found itself caught in a controversy after a cosplay contest emcee donned a Powerline costume for the event that included brown face paint.
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- As the New York Post reports, Travis Lara appeared at the San Antonio event dressed as Powerline from Disney’s A Goofy Movie.
- However, Lara’s cosplay grew criticism for his use of brown facepaint or “blackface.”
- On Sunday, the Alamo City Comic Con Facebook page issued an apology, saying they were “taken aback” by the costume, adding “We understand how this can be seen as hurtful & offensive. We have always embraced diversity & feel this was done in poor judgment.”
- The Post also reports that Lara’s mother, Laura Lara, addressed the controversy in a now-deleted Facebook post of her own.
- In it, she reportedly wrote that her son, “did his makeup with love for the character. He is a certified theater teacher and used 2 shades of brown with muzzle to copy the dog face. He certainly meant no disrespect”
- One can’t help but note that this cosplay controversy comes on the heels of NBC host Megyn Kelly getting the boot from her Today show slot after seemingly defending the use of blackface in Halloween costumes during an on-air discussion.