Last Thursday, the discussion at LnL Square was about Second Life (SL) genders, shapes, and the reasons for creating our avatars in a certain way, our expectations and results. It was very interesting to see how diverse discussers' motivations were; some thought their personalities were the potentiating factor, others the experiences and places they go through. Some create a look and stick to it for a long period of time, others change it seasonally, and finally there were those who changed it daily, even several times a day. Often how the avatar looks is also determined by what we cannot have in Real Life (RL), while others decided to choose the exact opposite of what they were in RL. The group also debated the possibility of an enriching diversity in SL, often not used fully; for some, it was disconcerting, even annoying, that people tend to fall back into the same cliché looks. Paradoxically enough, realism in body size/mass is close to non-existent! The concept of “being different”, which should serve the purpose of putting an end to discrimination, doesn’t achieve that goal at all; avatars in wheelchairs, older or overweight seem to be the object of both indifference and derogatory comments. The discussion ended on a fun note with discussers showing several of their avatars! That is the essence of SL, to have the possibility to explore our wildest dreams and have fun! See you next Thursday, 2pm SLT at LnL’s Discussion Lounge, for a new topic and a fantastic group! The discussion is open to the grid, so come on over and share your ideas!
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