Hi Daniel,

These questions of identity and perception are quite interesting. I’m tempted to start quoting from Judith Butler about performing gender and trying to map the concepts across to identity and representation via avatar forms.

My guess is that whatever you try to present has the potentail to be subverted or affirmed by those you meet. There does seem to be a strong emphasis on visual forms - avatars generally seem to be idealised forms. Interestingly, when I presented my avatar as a slightly overweight (tummy and love handles) with a thinning shock of hair covering his pate - I was constantly questioned by the avs I met about why I didn’t fix them up… as though somehow the character I presented wasn’t a deliberate choice.

I had an inworld job interview (for a paid job in SL) and found myself thinking about how I should look - I opted for a fairly conservative look and even bought a new suit!!

My RL partner is writing an article for a magazine, focusing on transgendered issues in virtual worlds - she reports that several of the people she spoke to felt more comforatble engaging in SL because their avatar did not carry the physical history of their lives and yet asserted their RL personality and identity quite strongly.

To me, as in RL, I don’t really stop and think about what Buddy’s appearance says about him… I don’t see an obvious “brand”… his look is quite casual and fairly ubiquitous. I would be more inclined to judge Buddy based on my inworld encounters with him.

The fact I work in theatre and the arts in RL might also affect the way I make judgements about people… I deal with a variety of “images” that very often sit alongside regular personalities - I know some performers whoi appear very flamboyant and extyroverted, and yet they are quiet, reserved and introspective when you sit down to talk with them.. they carry have chosen their appearance to suit a role that they adopt in their working lives, because the image is posited in/upon their physicality it goes with them into the private and personal contexts of their lives.

The upshot being that in mnay cases, its counter-productive for me to make too many assumptions based upon appearance… I think I carry that mindset with me into SL.

Having said that - let me take a shot at “reading” Buddy….

Buddy seems to have a gentleness in his face… his hairstyle seems somewhat showy and theatrical especially given the blue hue. His dress style is casual and street savvy… but certainly dressed for comfort… he seems to express a slightly non-conformist outlook but not too radical… his makes a bit of a statement - and there is a tyouch of retro-bovver boy about him. Although the hair says that it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. I don’t think we can assume too much about his world view or belief structures… probably not too committed to any particular viewpoint - he seems to suggest an openness of mind, and somewhat thoughtful.

How’s that connect with your thoughts?

Cheers

Thanks for biting Kim!

Also, noticed that over on New World Notes, Hamlet has started a new thread all about avatars and their appearance: “All About My Avatar”. I beat him to it though!

:D

Well, why does Buddy look the way he does? What were my decisions? First decision - spend a little money on a decent skin. In the end I bought two, as the first just wasn’t quite good enough. Unshaven to reflect my usual real-life appearance.
What I want the skin to say is
- Is not new to Second Life.
- Is somewhat casual about appearance. (Does this make it ’studied casual’?)

Hair to empahsise the casual. Element of punk, with a blue/black mohican cut. Want this to say to people that
- I like alternative music
- I amn’t too easily offended by alternative behaviours

Boots look vaguely Doc Marten like - again some of my favoured real-life foot wear (where the bovver boy look comes from in part?). Trousers are reasonably smart. Together these also allow me to change just the shirt (I dislike shopping for clothes in SL almost as much as I do in RL) and be instantly a little more respectable.

The shirt is pretty important. “Cybering your alt” - No I probably am not having cyber-sex with your alternative SL account, but I like to joke about it

I’d say you were spot on with my intention with “he seems to express a slightly non-conformist outlook but not too radical”. Well done Kim.

This remains one of the most fascinating areas of SL (and similar MUVEs) as everyone engages with (virtual) physical appearance so quickly.

Our team in SL includes such a wide-range, those that have done the bare minimum to their ‘default’ avatar, those that have customised to reflect their RL appearance, through to those that wouldn’t be without their tails, wings or indeed the ice-skates they seem to wear to every occasion

I myself settled on an appearance in terms of skin/eyes/hair that I never touch, but I am constantly changing what I wear. My virtual wardrobe knows no bounds!

Interestingly I have long participated in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft (I’m currently beta-testing Lord of the Rings Online). In these you also have a reasonable degree of control over appearance, and I have often had both male and female characters in these fantasy worlds. At one point early in my SL experiences I tried switching my avatar to female (such are the affordances of virtual living). For some reason this just felt uncomfortable and ‘wrong’ in SL, whereas it never seemed as such in the other worlds.

So for me it seems the SL skin that fits me best is not too different from my RL self, just with a far bigger wardrobe!