Size Matters

Grid Down Day - Over at LindenLifestyles ( I love what they come up with on these days) the topic of the day is shape. How did you come to choose yours? Were you influenced by others in SL?

I read through the comments that are already up and it seems a lot of people said that they matched their avatar shape to their RL shape. Since the majority of SL is Barbie World, it means that the people who commented are in the .07% of SL people. I think its wonderful of them to choose to be different, isn't that what SL creativity is for?

I can admit that I'm influenced by others in SL, but not the people you think. I'm influenced by the SL clothing designers. The vast majority of designers create their outfits to fit a frame that is very tall and very slender. Since I don't want to waste all my time in world changing prim pieces that have already been made, I've made the choice to make my avatar fit the mold. If people wanted to change the face of SL to mirror that of the real world, then I think it should begin with designers, and then with customers demanding more variety.

With that said, I think that the real creativity and style come from the face. Even if you chose to make your body sliders beyond what you normally are, you have the choice to make the face your own. Of course there are limitations to the sliders, but you can come remarkably close to your own real life appearance. I think in a world where bodies are very similar, you can be unique and mirror yourself through the facial features.

In RL I have the average women's body. Average weight, 5 foot 4 the average US height for women and maybe a little above the average in the chest area. Going into SL though, some of the appeal is to have the chance to be something your not. To have some level of fantasy and mine would be to be taller. Why not take that opportunity? I think its part of the appeal for those in SL to live a life they want and my not otherwise be able to. I don't think that gives anyone a right to condemn those who choose to be different by being the same.

Besides having the "perfect body" in SL is a lot cheaper then trying to move the sliders in RL :)