White Woman Faces Heavy Criticism After Winning Cosplay Contest At Convention For 'Black Nerds'

This cosplay contest at Blerdcon in Arlington, Virginia has become controversial after awarding a winning prize to a white woman dressed as a black. 

The word Blerdcon is a portmanteau of "Black" and "nerds." The contest is for the purpose of promoting people of color and is a place that encourages diversity. The competition takes place in July for three days at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport.

@Mizore_Tee/Twitter

People attending the event and black people on social media became outraged at the management of the show for awarding the first prize to a White woman. 

All I wanna know is how y’all let this win the BLERDCON cosplay competition 🤬 https://t.co/lwvXGWfDIL— Tani J 👑 (@Tani J 👑) 1626746639.0

@Mizore_Tee/Twitter

The woman who won the prize was dressed as the character Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura. She also took to social media to apologize for her ignorance. 

@Mizore_Tee/Twitter

This is a Yt woman who attended BLERDCON and decided to compete against some great black cosplayers…. they all had way better Cosplays 🙄— Tani J 👑 (@Tani J 👑) 1626755985.0

The Blerdcon website states the event "highlights and celebrates Blerd culture and creates a marketplace of ideas where sharing that culture can take place with proper context, attribution, and positivity in an inclusive environment."

The woman who caused all this controversy recently took to social media to address the drama.

"I need to address the Blerdcon situation," she tweeted on Tuesday.

"First I want to apologize for not doing so sooner and appearing to avoid the situation. I was/am dealing with a family emergency and I was also waiting to hear back from Blerdcon themselves about their own statement."

"I am actively in the process of returning the prizes and have stepped down. I am sorry for centering myself in a space that was not mine to do so."

"There have been plenty of people who have said I should have read the room and not entered despite my friends encouraging me to do so."

However, TikTok user @capnkenknuckles argued that the lady should have not participated in this contest in the first place.

She made a point that part of the impetus for Blerdcon and similar conventions is the racism and anti-Blackness prevalent at other conventions.

She stated that people of color already have very limited opportunities provided to express themselves. 

The TikTok user also showed a screengrab of a deleted Twitter thread in which @PhreshxBear said it was their fault for encouraging the lady to participate in the competition.

"I understand the upset this has caused," wrote @PhreshxBears, adding, "but I would rather have that upset directed at me rather than at her."

@capnkenknuckles/TikTok

Internet became angrier after one Twitter user @BendingBackward  pointed that the costume which won first place was purchased in the first place.

"actually a purchased costume after all and NOT hand-dyed, handmade, hand-sewn, nothing."

@capnkenknuckles/TikTok

Blerdcon's founder, Hilton George, addressed the controversy in a Facebook video statement.

He said:

"We are an open space, we are not members of a private organization… we don't turn people away."

"There will always be people there who are not Black, who are not people of color, in participation."

He added that the contestants and the judges won't take bullying from the public and that they would ban people in the future.

Moving forward, the judge also told public that the convention could "include specific categories within the costume contest more than just a top 3" as well as "potentially including an audience vote/fan favorite portion."

TikTok user @capnkenknuckles clarified in her video, "I'm not against White people being at Blerdcon."

She added:

"But at the same time where is the thought process of you knowing that this is a Black convention for POC and Black cosplayers to have a safe space – because we don't have a safe space in anime conventions – and then you do this."

"Even as an ally, this doesn't seem like a good idea."

Here it should be pointed out that this is the second time a non-Black Blerdcon convention participant won the cosplay contest.