Define: Child Avatar

That sounds a lot like my dolly... Or quite a few other dolly/dollie friends I have. (^_^)y

as a child av I avoid clearly adult locations. I do go to some Mature locations but I always check first to be sure its okay. As a child av there's a lot of adult stuff in SL I dont want to see or go near, its yucky mush stuff ya know

OK, I looked at the picture and read some of the comments. To me what makes a child avatar is how they dress. 5 year old kids have Mommy and Daddy dress them. There is no way I would dress my child (when I get one) in a latex outfit, lots of buckles, high heeled shoes, long dangley earrings, etc....

OK, I added a few more things there but usually when I see a child ava, they tend to dress in a style that no normal child would dress like. Put on a pair of flat shoes, dirty pants or pretty dress, braid the hair and we'll compare.

JulieAnne

One user agreed.

(Actually, I dun often check, but I am careful. Even if I was running with the body paint crowd last week)

Well since I'm referenced, I'll respond

Since I am a child avatar who has been exposed to a variety of various roleplay elements, I feel justified in stating "to each is own"

I think that being a kid is all in the eye of the beholder. Some of us choose to wear certain clothes, do certain activities and interact in methods that allow us to get into character. Some of us are fulltime kid avs and others choose to be an occasional kid.
Personally, I find myself speaking and interacting with residents quite the same way I would in my daily first life. Which means either I'm a lousy roleplayer or I am simply projecting myself in SL the way I feel, A kid trapped in an adult body. Despite that, the urge to babytalk has never crossed my mind. (Why ARE kids in sl over 4 babytalking anyway?)

I can certainly understand frustrations when child avatars come to adult functions and act inappropriately, it's similar to RL when you are trying to enjoy something and a kid starts misbehaving. I can understand the roleplay aspect of it, but I don't believe in ruining others fun through self gratifying needs. I am an active fan of live music in SL, I haven't run into any problems because I do not choose to conduct my behavior in a way that disrupts anyone elses Second Life experience.

Ya know, I saw one just like that two days ago, although I'd say the one I saw clearly seemed to be aiming for 6-8 year old. Also with the spinning and posing AO. And in a location that gives you a nc when entering stating that child avs under no circumstance were permitted - and for a very good reason. Given the surroundings we were in I stayed clear, and have no idea what her style of chat was like.

Hewwo Koffwe!

/me shudders

Actually, I find it funny that the folks who often speak out th' loudest about th' more complex ikklespeak are usually kid role players themselves. It can really drive me nuts too -- and yet I have my own inflections!



I think this applies regardless of avatar, too. I've seen plenty of examples of avatars other than children acting out over the last week or so. For me, I'll gauge an event an act accordingly: what would be accepted at the burning of the man at Burning Life would NOT be correct for Show and Tell in North Lummerland.

Fair enough.

I can understand why people would and why people would not want to add that sorta thing to their profile. If you (or, rather, unlike you, anybody who's not clear on this) don't want to add it and you end up in an adult place, just remember that if the owner/manager asks you about your age, they're probably only really interested in getting the issue solved and going back to what they were doing. A quick "yep! i'm an adult in sl and rl" will usually make them go away. It's not true for all places but I think it is for most.

If you're looking for an official answer:



Yes, this is actually quite harsh - for example, it means that you can't have an adult stipper who performs in a faux schoolgirl uniform, because this would trigger the ".. clothing.. generally associated with children" criterion. It's probably more of a "make sure there is nothing the media could get ahold of" rule than a practical way of determining a child av.

I think the answer lies more in clothes and behavior. When I see what I recognize as a child avatar, my clues are in some combination of children's clothing, or behavior such as running around and hopping in place, or immature speech. They might be taller than I am.

My avi is about five foot three with a chubby adult figure and a rounded face. And why not? On this side of the keyboard I am shorter than my ten year old nephew, and a good deal rounder in shape. There is nothing about my avi's dress, behavior, or conversation that says "child." (Neither is her clothing, behavior, or dress very sexualized.) As far as I know, no one has ever mistaken my avi for a child avatar.

In the end, I know of only one way to expertly determine if an avatar is a child avatar.

Ask 'em.

To me, a kid avatar is someone who acts and dresses like a child.
Sorry, Immy, but when I see your child AV walk around in shorts short enough to expose your behind I think I'm looking at a dwarf (sorry, short person). Not a child avatar in my eyes but perhaps someone vertically challenged looking for a date.

I saw some neat kid avatars at Marianne's fireworks, with cute little outfits and toys, that jumped up and down and acted like kids. No guessing involved there.
The whole thing seems pretty black and white to me. Although a lot of child AVs seem sadly deformed by the limitations of the avatar mesh, it's not that difficult to present yourself as a child in ways that no one has to guess what you're about.

I'm a bit tired of child AV's complaining about being AR'ed (or even just questioned) when they send conflicting messages with their style of clothing, their profiles, the company they keep, or the places they visit.

Now you've placed yourself deliberately in a "gray" area. It's a fun concept and interesting AV, no doubt, but why are you surprised when people are confused by it? You created your shape and you made is look like bondage gear at first glance.
As it's doubtful that human nature is going to change in the next little while, I'd suggest that, if you don't want negative comments, you put on some clothes or appear a little more mature.

Hewwo Marianne!

Unfortunately, social etiquette is widely ignored in Second Life, so I see misbehavior from all walks of roleplaying. For some reason though, whenever I see another kid av in a public place acting out or generally being a jerk it makes me feel personally responsible for them, even if by some off chance I never met them before.

..an makin' a total mess of things, too!



To be honest, I don't think ARs should be about what we wear so much. I mean, unless were talkin' about wearing genitals or someting. When I see Immy's doll avatar, I've never thought "bondage gear." Heck, I wouldn't even really know what a "bondage strap" is -- an RL me really isn't that sheltered.



Fixed it for you. Needed more "W"s



I dun feel totally responsible for them (I mean, they *should* know right from wrong, at least in the brain behind th' keyboard), but I do tend t' think about how it reflect on us as a whole.

Age in RL often isn't easy to tell. I looked very young in my twenties, like I was still in my mid-teens. It wasn't how I dressed, or acted, I just looked young. If I tried to wear clothing to make me look older, I looked like a teenager trying to look older. When I met guys my age, most wouldn't go out with me because they thought I was jail bait. I remember going on a date when I was 25, and my date told me the best thing about dating me was that I looked like a kid but I was legal. Creepy!

When I was pregnant in my early 30s, I still looked like a teenager and teenage boys would stare at me open jawed in horror. I bet the sight of me waddling around pregnant got a lot of teenage boys to use birth control. I would have adults ask me when I was carrying around my baby what my parents thought.

I'm sorry to get slightly OT, but sometimes with RL people it's hard to tell their age, so why wouldn't it be the same in SL?

hmmmm... I dont feel responsible but I wish that all child avs would realize they represent all of us. Its not right but its how it is.... we've been under a micr... micro... oh that thing you look thru to examine stuff. We have to accept that we live under different rules in SL than others do. For the majority we didnt bring this on, a few did. So I guess I just try to think of all the SL kids by tryin just a bit harder to behave

It's not the same in SL - it's worse!!!

Not even the few did. It's the majority who panics over it.

Hmm.. a child? or a Pixie, or just not really connected with everyone else's reality?

Agreed but the majority panic was brought on by a few

What if she's not human?

I've got ... god, I don't know how many avatars. I gave up counting 2 years ago and it was already over 100. Some of them are short (not Tinies, just short), and some are very cartoony. Donald-duck level of cartoony. I still occasionally get asked if I'm playing a child when I'm using one.

A child avatar is one where you ask them "are you playing a child", and they answer "yes".

...and most of them were respected journalists and media figures.

totally agree except the respected part hehe

A hobbit wearing shoes? Standards have really dropped since Middle Earth.

I try to take avatars to be what the person running the av says they are. I look at profiles and at chat as much as at the visual clues.

I agree, Immy, your current avatar is in a gray area. Having met her inworld, I can tell you that I thought she was maybe 13 or so. Fwiw, I did not interpret the latex and straps as bondage gear, but as punk accessories ... she is really cool-looking, and came across to me as a tough guy's younger sister. She did not play to me as cyborg, because of all the skin, and the absence of an obvious robotic limb. Battery pack (which could just be a steampunk backpack) and USB are pretty subtle clues.

She is sexy, in a way, and I would not be amazed if you told me she had guys make passes at her, more than at your child av. So, I'm sure she will provide you with a great way to explore the question your OP poses!
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