This bugs me alot

Or they just aren't that interested in their avatar. Many people are but you don't have to be!

Certainly it's been known that when companies come into SL from the outside, or even sometimes from MDCs (although that's just common), they often just use the default male and female avatars because they haven't any interest in creating one. All the people they're going to meet in SL are business colleagues whom they know in real life and talk to over voice in SL, and they're only there to build an area, provide service for it and manage it as a business - so what is the need for an avie, really?

She's my female av tester, sit poses mainly and the occasional permissions tester. I am often told in RL by gay friends they think I'm a closet gay, so it really doesn't bother me at all. The main point I thought I was making was that the female av and my statement to them that I'm male doesn't seem to get connected.

Aw, go texture a prim. The rest of us are having fun over here.

He can't SL is down, that's why he's here, *gives Rob Adelaide a hug*

I am an OLD avatar and although I dont wear the orientation island skin, I do wear one done completely with the sliders. Why? Because I made my avatar with my own RL very unnusual hair and beard color and there is no way in hades I can find a beard color like that in a skin.

For other family members in game that have stuck to sliders skins it is because they are Native American/Canadian and there simply are no good Native skins out there that we have found. The closest they can come are hispanic and those have far too much body hair. To these folks expressing thier own heritage is more important than what anyone else thinks of thier skin.

There can be many reasons why a person chooses not to purchase a skin these are only 2.

Not going to bite you head off, but are you the SL skin police? Why is it important that someone be attracted to an avatar??? I'm sorry maybe not everyone is here for SL love'in..

When I was a newbie all I saw at first was the newbie shape and skin and everything was new and cool and dont forget when you go in appearance you see yourself close up. There is more to an avatar's look then just the skin there is the shape and that can still be worked on and created nicely in appearance as a newbie. I didnt like the eyebrows on the newbie av I remember but I sort of liked the hair ... when I tried on my first prim hair it looked to me like snakes coming out of my head.... lol but I found some I liked and worked slowly from there.

Yes they do look nice to me for a newbie... especially if the shape is nice the original Ruth shape is kinda pretty . Skin color may be a matter of preference.newbie skin is yellow a bit but on the other side some avatar skins have a rather dead bland color I think ,you just have to decide what you like... remember its all new to them it takes time for it to all sink in. Try looking at them more closely.

Elinah

That is what I was thinking.

I had an sl friend whose skin was pink for at least 6 months. I never saw his skin all I ever saw was him. The words he typed to me.

I don't worry about other's looks. How they want to be is fine with me. Now I may sound shallow, but what I hate it the ranmodized newbie AV hitting on me and they get upset when I sugguest a few freebie places to improve their looks. I spent many 1000L$ and lots of time to make myself look nice. I just want someone to be at least a little concerned with their looks. It does not take money or all that much time to look passible. If they want to be newbs and hang with the ruths, go right ahead. But don't treat me like a computer NPC that is supposed to put out just because you found a free cock.

Some newbies don't know that you can get out of mouselook. Some don't even know that you can press alt to look at yourself. And don't be so quick to consider them ugly as you might appear to them as a short woman wearing white clothes with 'missing image' graffiti and hair growing out of your bum.

There's a few more choices in between "ignorance" and "stubborn attitude." Some people are in SL for a specific reason (ie. perhaps to join a gaming community) and, as I believe Michael said, their AV is simply the vehicle that allows them to be in SL.

I have to admit I used to be a bit taken aback when I would see AVs that were a year old still looking like they just arrived from OI. But after getting to know a few of the "noobie looking AVs," I came to understand people have all sorts of reasons for not enhancing their SL appearance, from truly not knowing how to truly not caring for whatever reason.

Many Noobies are not aware of some of the halfway decent free skins they can get unless someone like you or I tell them. Who knows...they may not WANT to be told...thier business.
The reason we all start off with a NOOB skin the moment we are born is a simple one; LL does not want to be responsible for our emotional trauma of having chosen a particular type of skin, thus branding or stereotyping us into a mold or mindset we do not wish to be. if you have ever used the program called poser, you will notice right away a default, un rendered 'look' that the human shape looks like...it was an easy decision on their part to give us all a default start, similar to Poser’s default shape and color...the rest is up to us.
For those who want to persue this avenue, there is a template download on this very website that each and every one of us can get free, paint our own skin, upload it for $10L and wear it as a skin. Think of all the cool new custom skins there will be out there if we all did that! Alas... I bought a hispanic skin called 'Lost' (from the TV series) just because the ladies helping me shop suggested it (they thought he had a very sexy face, and ass) and he actually does look hot, HOWEVER...I am going to take the time one day to create my own custom skin in Photoshop...but if i decide to go back to my default noob skin, that would be a test of who my REAL friends really are!

True beauty, and true loveliness comes from the heart...sometimes we just need to look past this whole skin thing.

I find it interesting that as a newbie, seven months ago, with yellow skin, ugly clothes, and pointy hair, that countless experienced SLers approached me regularly with kindness. And to this day several of them are still in my Friends list. No doubt some SLers avoided me back then due to my newbie look, but I don't care.

Ummm, so only pretty people with expensive boy bit attachments get to hit on you and you're too good for the ugly folk, who are better off hanging out with each other.

I'm fairly sure it'll be a long while before you get to play with anything BUT the mouth-breathing noobs whose vocabulary includes gems like "U" and "cuz", no matter what they look like, with that attitude.

Soooo true.

I have very fair skin RL and had an awful time trying to find a skin that was pale in the "porcelain" sense and not "Goth white." Was ecstatic when I found EXACTLY what I wanted!

I've had people, sometimes complete strangers, tell me (my AV) that I am "too pale" or "you need a tan!" *Shakes head* I don't walk up to them and say "You look like you spent WAY too much time in a tanning bed."

As a good friend used to say: "There are a lot of boors in the world."

That's an excellent way of looking at things I think..

Anyway, as many others have already said, it doesn't matter one iota what kind of skin someone chooses to wear.. I also have a 'starter package' folder ready to give out to anyone who wants it but I would NEVER EVER just assume that someone who walks around with a 'newbie' appearance wants to necessarily change it. It would be like saying to someone on the street etc... "oh, when is your baby due?" only to have them reply "what do you mean, I'm NOT PREGNANT!!" etc...etc....

Maybe SL should have a 'National Newbie Day'...where everyone has to put on their default skins, shapes etc..... that would be a hoot!

This song comes to mind when I read all the posts....
Don't look at me

Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, i saw debris
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down
So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends, you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The piece is gone left the puzzle undone
That's the way it is

You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring you down
Don't you bring me down today...

No matter what we do
(no matter what we do)
No matter what they say
(no matter what they say)
When the sun is shining through
Then the clouds won't stay


And everywhere we go
(everywhere we go)
The sun won't always shine
(sun won't always shine)
But tomorrow will find a way
All the other times

'cause we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down
Don't you bring me down today

Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today

OMG OMG OMG OMG!! My fave song of all time.. gawd I love it...

w0rd

So, since you were able to spend many 1000L on your look, other people should be at least concerned with THEIR look? (Actually, I did, too. I have 5 RaC skin packs (think I'm addicted to them) and each pack with 6 makeups cost me $L4000. I, however, don't expect a single other resident of SL to go out and do the same thing I did). I like demo'ing and trying new skins, still do it constantly, and will sometime in the next month get another RaC skin that I've been eyeing...it's a nice tan one I plan to use more for summer, I tend to use my paler skins now that it's winter, but that's ME.
However, my comment is what it was to the OP basically....why do you care? And the OP who is so concerned with other people's appearance, can't even take the time to use proper punctuation and capitilization. In any kind of virtual environment, especially based mainly in text, that should be more important that what their avie looks like. To me, the way one presents their thoughts and ideas is a bit more important than how they look. If people want someone to invest time and money into their "look" perhaps they should first invest time into their own writing skills.
I know that sounds snarky, and it kind of is. I'm not normally a snarky person, but this kind of thinking just really galls me for some reason. Maybe it's just because it's "hump" day and I'm wishing it was Friday. So sorry if I offended anyone, I really am. However, I stand by my point since, to me anyway, it was valid.
Happy Freakin' Wednesday, everyone!

Id suggest trying RAC if you are still interested.

While they don't have native American skins per se, they have a lot of variety in facial features in darker complexion tones which can really help.

Although I cant say for sure the male skins offer the same variety.

I have some Cherokee in my own ancestry and I am pretty happy with the skin I chose. (same one that is pictured in my forum profile)

I had been inworld for months before I even knew that there was such a thing as new skin and hair. I even missed my 'newbie' look when I finally changed.

Its not glaringly obvious if you spend time in places like the Shelter that you do look a bit new and fuzzy. Once a friend pointed out that I actually looked as if I has jaundice and gave me a nice skin I started to look around, and am now quite presentable.

If newbie ladies (and men) ask me how they can look better then I take them to MIA or somewhere similar. I too have made some good friends this way (and some griefers too). So in answer to your question, most probably dont know, some just dont care.

Oh my! I'm not even sure what you all mean by 'yellow' skin. I can tell you that I've never purchased one (or gotten a freebie one) cause it wasn't a priority for me. There are many types of skin out there, many with way too much make-up for my tastes. Whether they thought they looked good or not, I wouldn't dream of giving someone advice on how they should look like (!?!) I used the sliders until I was satisfied, and every once in a while, I'll tweak it here and there. Since I'm usually looking at my backside, it's not an issue for me. I also don't spend my time staring at people - more the scenery and stuff...

And, yes, I think I look good - to me - which is all that matters anyway. If someone came up to me and gave me unsolicited advice on my looks, I would also say 'Thank You, but I think I look good'.

I was in 'Shiny Things' the other day, in the 'flats' section, and a guy came up to me and told me I should really think about wearing heels - that they were much prettier/sexier. I thanked him for his suggestion and explained that I simply preferred flat shoes. He kept insisting, then finally said "What a pity" (#*&%?) WTF? Who asked you Mr Skin Tight Tux?!!!

You may pay lots of money and time on your look but that doesn't mean I will find you good looking. There's no such thing as a great skin or an ugly one. There are skins you like and some you don't. It's a matter of taste and priorities.

And, oh, if you ever think about coming up to me and giving me free advice on how I 'should' look - just turn your perfect self around and 'sexy' walk away. Take your 'clickity-click' shoes with you.

Alright you. Now you've done it. Calling the original Halflife dated and uninspiring is like scoffing at a '67 Stingray. HL2 is certainly much more advanced graphically, just like a new Corvette would be faster and handle much better than it's early predecessor, and frankly, even HL2 has been beaten graphically by F.E.A.R. and maybe a few newer games, but the historical significance (within the industry, of course) of Halflife, and what it meant to people at the time, especially to modders who were able to take the open source code and really do some cool things with it can't be overlooked.

phew. /fanboy rant.

On topic. It seems like the OP is tired of people who make no effort to look good hitting on her. In her defense, she didn't complain about people with basic skins and looks who are minding their own business and building, scripting, etc... I can see her point. If someone is in SL for sex/romance/relationships, whatever, instead of showing up and acting like you own the joint and all of the women should drop their panties when you walk in the room, maybe that person should spend some time creating an attractive avatar, so it looks like they care about the image they present to others. Then, maybe they should temper their approach with humility.

I don't accost women in SL. I don't know if it works, or why it does. It happens all the time, apparently, and I think it's a poor show. It's disrespectful, classless and as a guy, I find it offensive. It gives reasons to women to generalize us all into a bunch of sex-crazed apes. I don't mind that the OP is tired of being hit on by newbs who have put zero effort into their look. Maybe she has found that those who spend more time and energy on how they present themselves also present themselves differently by way of what they say and how they approach her.

Now. I'm off to find the OP in-world and hit on her mercilessly. "Hay babeee!!! U sexy me now?" "mmmm...nice boobies."

(erk...vomit)