Was This Really a Genuine "Black Face" Incident (Meaning Meaning to be Insulting?)

Or was this just bad stage craft?

The national office of Phi Mu sorority has put six white University of Southern Mississippi students on probation after a photograph surfaced on Facebook showing them in blackface at an off-campus costume party.The sorority sisters put on the makeup and donned curly-haired wigs to attend the 1980s-themed party as the Huxtable family from the sitcom ‘The Cosby Show. Here.

I admit. At first read of the headline and teaser on the blog I found this story, I was ready to go all batshit. Then I read the story. And the story that is linked to in the story. And very quickly I was willing to cut slack. Why?

I have a degree in Theatre. I know how to apply theatrical makeup. Likelihood is these stupid girls did not have a clue, and to make matters worse, did not track down some one who hangs out at the theatre for some help. I have shopped for makeup myself, back in the day. So I know about the kinds and varieties. And all these dumb girls needed to do was go to a store that carries the stuff, or even order it off the Net. I would recommend to pass on the sticky greasy stuff, and get the pancake. And the range is so varied they could have picked any number of nice shades of brown. Now theatrical make up isn't all that expensive. And there were six of them. They could have chipped in for one unit of one good shade and it would have cost them next to nothing. Each. But they were stupid. And stupid is as stupid does.

Oh. Go here for the Mehron makeup brand's performance Color chart.

One last thing on this subject. Now stage actors, ballet dancers, and even opera singers (who are a specialized kind of actor) usually do their own makeup, unless it's way too complicated for the role. It's an age old tradition and serves an important function in the whole "getting into character," ritual. And there is this famous story that has been out there for decades about the one star tenor who was singing the lead in "Otello." And he did his own makeup. And he liked to leave his shirt unbuttoned at the neck and upper chest. And one day he did that. But he forgot to apply the make up on his neck and chest.

Whoops! That looked weird, I bet!