"Skanky Ho's" vs SL Models

I've been playing SL with a group of longtime friends. And tho I'm a newby in SL I'm not a newby to online games & roleplaying. I think I have a good imagination but I also have a pretty firm grip on reality. (Tho some that know me might argue that point.) Yes, I'm aware that each of the characters playing in SL are RL people with RL feelings. But if I happen to make a character that flies a plane in here that does NOT make me a RL pilot!. If my character wants to "pretend" (AKA roleplay) in SL that she's a brain surgeon that hardly makes me one in RL. And I would hope that 99.9% of you would agree with me on that.

Which brings me to the topic of this thread. Last night my friends & I were in SL having a discussion about modeling clothes, hairstyles, etc., in SL. My character has chosen to make some money dancing at a club. Cause yes, I'd like an SL house some day & all the goodies that go with it but making items in here is not my forte! So I'm going the route of dancing cause we all know sex sells - RL or SL. Plus it's fun!

One or two of my friends is looking into the possibility of modeling in SL. Great! Each to their own & SL has a lotta variety. Well, during the discussion they let me know that I couldn't become a model in here because I'd been an SL dancer. And of course THEY wouldn't consider dancing in a club because it would sully their reputation for going into modeling. Apparently in SL once you go a route with your character you're locked into it - at least for the women. If it's anything like RL then I'm sure the male models aren't held back if they've been a dancer or if they frequent every booby joint & BDSM area in SL. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

My friends informed me that the designers & businesses in SL don't want "skanky ho's" working for them no matter how nice they look. At that point I came just a bit unglued & admit I'm still upset today. Because just like if I fly a plane in SL it doesn't make me a real pilot - playing a dancer in SL doesn't make me a RL prostitute or "skanky ho". Now of course my friends tried to quickly explain that they weren't calling ME that but it sure as hell sounded & felt that way.

So my question is - is it true that the designers & businesses in SL really think this way? And if so, do you realize what a crock of crap that is because even tho this is a virtual world with real people in it - it's STILL PRETEND!! Yes I realize that RL money is involved & that many times it's RL companies. But you don't KNOW who the people behind these characters are anyway!

That beautiful classy female SL model could really be a 70 yr old man. And that person that you think of as a "skanky ho" in SL could really be a RL top model with Victoria's Secret that's flying her freak flag for a while in SL. And wtf difference does it make anyway? Is anyone doing RL background checks for these "top model" jobs? My best guess is "NO!". Are my friends that want to be SL models going to be held back if the business in SL that they're working for finds out that they're friends with dancers?! GASP! And does anyone else except me see how damn stupid this is?

Btw I don't want to be a model in here because it sounds damn boring to me. I think going window shopping in the penis stores is a lot more fun!

Please discuss & let me know what you think.

As if anyone would be able to remember you dancing in a club if you came knocking on their door for a modeling job? I mean, are you going to give them your resume and list your days being a so-called "ho" as your friends put it. Give me a break!

The notion seems far-fetched to me. How could your past experience anywhere be traced unless you give it to them?

Meh. Go have a good time, do what please you and maybe get new friends?

I'd say your friends need to breathe and step back and mind their own business. I cannot imagine it would make one whit of difference, asusming you are classy and damn good at what you do regardless if it's on a cat walk or between pixel sheets.

I believe too there is a difference between say an escort and a "skanky ho" as you put it. No reason to denegrate those involved in the sex trades in SL. I would like to believe (wow would I so ferverently like to believe) we are above such petty nonsense in SL- although I am aware there is plenty of intolerance)

Complete BS.. You're not even locked into what species you are, let alone your profession. Be a model, be a dancer, be an escort, builder, mentor, hobo, hedgehog or table lamp.

Be whatever you want.

Your avatar wouldn't happen to be prettier than theirs, would it?

I'm not sure the poem currently in your profile would represent the sort of thing most fashion businesses would consider as reinforcing their brand image . . .

Pep (Depends on the target market of course)

In SL I've been a cyborg, a slave, a city leader, a model, a dancer, and an escort. At no time has I ever accepted that there is a roadblock in my way of anything, and no one can convince that there is. Just as in RL, in SL there are people that will try to convince you that something is impossible...can't be done, not proper, just not done.

Just as in RL, I ignore those very same people. They have a tendency to try and convince you to stay as you are, keep the status quo. Who knows why...perhaps it goes against their grain, or is an attempt to keep others down. Who knows, who cares...I just know that with friends like that, who needs enemies to keep you down?

My point is this, this is your second life. It's your world, your imagination. Use it to your fullest extent.

Pep, if I were interested in a modeling job in here I wouldn't have that poem there - tho I really like the poem!

In EQ, I loved to turn my Enchanter into a random item in relatively uninhabited areas then wait for newbies to walk by and start conversations with them. They'd be looking all around like "Who's talking to me?"

During Christmas, I walked around as a tiny, decorated Christmas tree thanks to an avatar made by Bodha. Sooo cute!

Just pointing out something that exemplifies the views you have run into. All the models I have met have squeaky clean profiles focused almost exclusively on the fashion business, probably because modelling is so competitive that those who succeed are likely to be pretty focused.

Pep (But their alts aren't necessarily . . . )

I think you're on to something.

Since they are your personal friends, I'd guess that they've actually heard something (that isn't true) and just passed it on to you.

Btw, if you become a table lamp (one of Sindy's examples), please don't stand around for long in my store, or you may make more money than me with people trying to buy you

Maggy, since you're new here I'll give you a tip. Save yourself some aggravation and put Pep on your ignore list now.

LMAO that was my first thought too... perhaps her "friends" are stuck in envy green mode.


For the OP: As a designer who's paid lots of people to model products for me at photo shoots, It's the overall look, flexibility with outfits/attachments, patience, and practice with poses/modeling HUD's that make a difference. I'm trying to sell a product by getting that perfect single image, not selecting bloodlines for a pedigree service lol. I look at someone having been a dancer as someone who's more than likely comfortable doing some showing off, which is usually going to make my job easier.

And...would this be the sex spot you know of mentioned in another thread?

Your friends are full of crap.

On the other hand, there are few paying jobs for models in Second Life. Many designers take their own photographs of their work using alts or friends, and skin, hair, accessories, etc. that they have selected. I'm not saying that you can't find work as a model--but in a world where being beautiful is a matter of taste and L$ spent, rather than genetics and exercise and dieting--supply tends to out pace demand

The models you see as living mannequins in stores are not paid much more than campers--almost certainly less than dancers (who make tips, at least).

I thought all models were skanky ho's. Oh well, you learn something new every day!

I think your friends are drama happy idiots... but they must be good friends or you'd find others.

SL is what you make of it. Ya wanna be a skanky ho? then you can be a skanky ho. You wanna be a "model", playboy bunny or suck the chrome off a trailor hitch, dance in mid air or do the splits you can in SL. However, SL is fantasy and if you are here long enough, eventually ones rl personality shines thru good or bad. Where else can a fat chick be a sexy hot model, a dude get blown every night then log on as an alt and be a girl!

SL is what it is... FUN!

Maggy, dance if you want, escort if you want...and model if you want. There's no prejudice against dancers or escorts that *I've* run into. Heck...there are hottie escorts who are also Second Life Mentors.

Your friends are showing their First Life prejudice against strippers and escorts. If you were a topless dancer in RL, you might indeed find it difficult to get a modeling career started. Sensible people don't carry that prejudice over into SL. It's a different world with different mores and standards.

Although there are a few people like your friends running around, thankfully they are in the minority.

When I first met my partner, she was a dancer (although no "escorting"... now she is a respected builder/creator - and someone who I have always been very proud of, no matter what she does, ever since I met her.

Your friends are, as others have noted, not really with what SL can offer. At the end of the day, do what makes YOU happy

Inc

just be careful and hide groups

i know people that refuse or boot people based on groups.

in SL I've found it's your groups that give your initial impression and stuff in it that someone finds objectionable then they will act as you say.

hide them or dont bother joining those groups

I know mine is. Me! The Prettiest!

(and cake)

/me hands over cake and cuddles the prettiest boy in SL