(God, why would we want to look at other larger shapes? Someone should start a “Layne Bryant of SL”. It would be awesome.)
While I’m not entirely sure what Tenshi Vielle meant by this combination of comments in her blog, the concept in the second sentence kept riding me (if for some reason you read this, Tenshi, I’m not offended, but the first sentence sounds dismissive while the other sounds like you want it to happen).
I have a few reasons why it stuck. First, I’m amongst the legions of people on SL whose inworld shape is not the same as their real world one. I’m a size 22 on average when I shop for jeans, but my av? Probably would be, too, but Lysana McMillan IRL would be over 8′ tall. The curves would scale up, too. At a saner human height, I’d probably be a 14 or 16 in the Jane Russell mode. I’m also on the edge of the social circle in the art world that centers on Strawberry Holiday, who is both a remarkable artist and unabashedly fat. My own desire for a bit more respect for people of size in the flesh-and-blood reality is echoed and redoubled by Strawberry’s own dedication to making SL better for the larger folks. And since I use a larger av in SL, albeit one built with the kinds of curves that leave mostly European men regularly disappointed to find out I’m not in the market for SLove, I run into a few issues in the wider world, especially in fashion. The phrase “no modify” attached to a pair of boots will drive me away from the designer every time. I can’t bring myself to shrink my legs over a pair of boots. Besides, I’d look so unnatural, I’d be featured on SL Fashion Police faster than you can say “black bar over my eyes”. I’m also already tired of the “Amazon” jokes, and I’ve only been inworld for seven months. No, I don’t do RP in that sim. I don’t do RP anywhere with the slight exception of the areas I go to where the average avatar isn’t human.
So what to do? I understand there are designers who feel better selling their prim items as no modify. With content theft being so significant of an issue, I can’t ask people to open themselves to thieves in exchange for my ability to throw them Lindens. But I know there are larger-sized folks in SL who care about this. So provided I manage to keep this up, I decided to dive in to the world of SL fashion blogging. I can make note of who is OK with their stuff being resized. Whose work fits me without being altered, modifiable or not. Notes about my own errors in judgment for what I’ve tried without success. And perhaps, something resembling “Lane Bryant of SL” will result. Whatever that would be.
In the meantime, I look forward to the essay I heard about via KessKreations’ post that Shopping Cart Disco linked to. Otherwise slim SLers running around in “fatvatars” for a week and reflecting on their experiences will definitely be food for thought.
Thank god for real sized avatars. I was being entirely dry-humoured (my usual standby) when I wrote those sentences. I was simply making fun of the skinny people (“Ew, fat avatars? Why would you want to be that in a world where you can be perfect?”) and I was entirely serious when I said there should be a creator out there who makes outfits for larger avatars and uses them in their advertisements. Tete-a-pied used a large avatar in one of their ads once. It was great; it felt like the French Revolution.
By: Tenshi Vielle on February 18, 2008
at 6:57 am
Ah! This is what happens when I’m silly enough to try to parse sentences late at night, which is what I was doing. Thanks for clearing that up, and who knows what’ll happen from this…
By: lysana on February 18, 2008
at 6:59 am
If, in fact, the statement was totally benign, I honestly don’t think it was obviously so. I read the blurb, and re-read it a number of times, before finally deciding that it was exactly what Lysana feared it might be.
I’m fat, and disabled, in the real world, and while I choose to have my avatars be more full in the legs, thighs, and tummy than your average “skinny minny” , oft emaciated femme avatar, they are still, by my standards, pretty thin.
I run a support group in Second Life for people who are chronically ill. I decided to embark on that journey because I knew how important SL was for me, as a person who is in constant pain, and can only rarely leave the house. I’ve noted that some of the girls actually wear chubby, realistic shapes, and some of them, like me, wear a more “fantasy” shape, but admit that it’s not what they look like in the real world.
I’d toyed with the idea of tracking down a wheelchair, and trying to make a real life version of myself (difficult to do, the way the “fat” meshes on the avies), and having some special meetings about body image for disabled people.
After reading these posts, I’m determined to do so.
Have a wonderful week. =)
Gem
By: Gemini Glitter on February 18, 2008
at 12:36 pm
Lysana- I’ll help as I hate hate hate no modify prims for clothing. I cannot stand no mod boots and actually didn’t purchase boots until just a couple of weeks ago b/c I was scared to spend money on an item that would be difficult or unable to modify (thank you SLink- I loooove her boots).
<3
By: Kesseret on February 18, 2008
at 4:21 pm
Gem, based on my reading of Shopping Cart Disco, I think Tenshi is being quite honest when she says it was meant as a snarky bit of humor against the people who can’t bring themselves to consider larger avs as fit for modeling clothing. Please note her remark about being happy with the former Tete a Pied when they used a larger av for a skin ad.
But oh, yes, do please seek out the chair and let me know how it goes!
By: lysana on February 18, 2008
at 6:47 pm
I’m happy for it to have been something of a misunderstanding, though I didn’t intend to indicate that I was decided on the matter myself, but rather that I could see the easy potential for that misunderstanding to have taken place at all.
It’s apparent, however, that body image issues pervade even pixelated worlds, though. Thank you for your kind support, and again for your efforts on your blog! =)
By: Gemini Glitter on February 19, 2008
at 2:28 pm