"Divided to the Vein"

When you are mixed racially in real and have distinctive skin colour, how do you see youself in sl? In which skin do you feel most comfortable even in a virtual world?

And before you jump on me, I am mixed race in real and have a very nice skin colour, thank you very much. Tending to the browner edge and I feel good about it.

My question really relates to skin and how we experiment with it. My inventory covers teh whole shade spectrum of skins from goth white-white to teh darkest of African skins (which reproduce badly in sl and lack shade subtleties). I am most comfortable in a skin that approximates mine but relfects sl light factors in such a way that I can see myself without wondering if i look as cool to other people.

If you are a person who is not of a mixed race or a "person of colour"I dont liek that descriptor, personally, cos it makes me feel liek I've been crayoned), have you ever tried skins that suggest races other than white? Jamaican (my roots), African, Egyprtian, asian? Do you translate or transfer you sensitivities to sl? Can you only "function" comfortable as yourself if you reflect your reality?

Jig stands back and waits for middle america, bible belters and all other points whose Jig-Radar warns them that they have an "in-coming".

I am Hispanic and relatively fair skinned in RL. In SL I also tend to very pale shades in fact paler than I am in RL. The other day I took an alt shopping and demod some darker skin tones. I don't mean racially black, just darker - It was so not 'me' I gave up and went with a fairer skin again. As far as rainbow colors, I do own and wear a red, a green, and a blue - these too are in lighter hues - the first red I had was way too dark so I searched til I found a lighter version.

Not sure what that all may say to you about me, Jig - if that is the sort of input you are looking for. Hope it helps- and yes I suppose I am also mixed racially, back a couple generations though.

Yeah, I think it's what I sorta mean. In real I do a lot of work promoting harmony for young adults/teens and positive self-identity is key to a healthy life. So it goes hand-in-hand with gay-straight-bi sexuality, teen pragnancy, poor education, low self-esteem etc etc.

I was just curious to see how sl members saw themselves or if caucasian members ever considered going to buy a dark skin. Or if people liek me (of mixed race) selected one side of teh colour "bar" over another.

I love all the colors. I match my skin color to the outfit I am going to wear. I do favor the bright colors and designs for skins though.

But as far as human colors go, I tend to go with the darker colors.. everything pops so much better to them.. *grins*

Now if I can ever figure out this home gene splicing kit, everyone in the world will be rainbow colors! ^_^

Kokoro, please be careful with that home gene splicing kit, okay? At least get an insured brand.



I am "Caucasian" in real life -- well not really. I am a little bit Cherokee and a whole lot Scots-Irish. There are no pure races.

Anyway, my SL human avatar has some qualities similar to the guy behind the keyboard, blond hair, a little bit unshaven (except on Mondays), but the SL skin is much darker. I have never been really happy being ghostly pale in RL but have learned how to enhance it with shirts leaning toward blues, greens, and ambiguous blue-green-grays. In SL I can wear more warm colors comfortably.

I have experimented with other races using alts, and they all pretty much felt like me. Heck, the beagle pretty much feels like me! I think this is similar to the experience of reading a book. If the author writes it well, we can identify with the main character POV regardless of appearance.


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Jig, you do realize that Egypt is on the African continent and that means Egyptians are African.

I am black in rl, but my skin is very light. (hate that, because I have a culturally 'black heart') LOL Now you know I didn't mean I have a black heart, I am a nice person, but I've always hated having to explain myself and being mistaken for white, hispanic, everything other than black, which is what I am. Been an issue in various ways since I was a kid, not so much now. But in SL, I wouldn't think of going with any skin except an obviously black one because that is 'me'. I started out with a lighter skin, but every time I looked at myself I did a double take, like 'who is that?' Except of course when I'm in my new Seawolf dragon, heeeeee. He is teh hawt, and his skin is green, he feels comfy in it, thanks for asking.

In RL I'm caucasian, in SL I have a grey skin mostly. One of the beauties of SL is choosing whom we want to be, I've never seen race as an issue of concern in SL other than darker skins being hard to find and the reason for that isn't generally nasty, it's simply because they don't display as well.

My SL skin colour is the same as my RL summertime skin colour! I'm white but tan easily to sandy / olive complexion.

My avatar looks more or less like "me" most of the time, so the only skin I've paid big bucks for is the one that makes me feel comfortable. I used to wear the "me" skin 99% of the time but lately I'm probably down to about 75% as I have been experimenting more.

When I find other skins on special sales, if I like them, I grab them. I have a few "ethnic" skins, and a whole boatload of fantasy skins. I love to create complete outfits around different skins.

Wearing a skin of a different ethnicity does give me a feeling like I'm somehow being untruthful... but then I realize that is just my societal conditioning and do it anyway. Sometimes I feel that way about hair, too, ethnic or not... so it's all in my head.

I'm so typical Nordic blond in RL, with fair skin and light ash blonde. Nothing special there. I created an alt that I meant should be black when Nora BodySkins had a closing sale.

Before this, I had only came upon full prized black skins. It was fun making that alt, but she don't feel as "me". I log her in regularly when I want to get her new good freebies. She has some good boots and I passed her some clothing. Only a few good friends know my alts, so she's walking alone. I like that sometimes when I've had too much to do in RL.

I had plans of using her in Roleplay, making her a poor peasant woman. I had her set up with plain cotton dress and all... my RP interest just died out.

In Marianne, I have some darker skins too. I understand just what you mean by "which reproduce badly in sl and lack shade subtleties". I found that Dutch Touch skins in cocoa work best for me. This skin is really not black, more mixed. Depends upon what type of hair and clothes you use with it, you can look like a tanned European, Mixed heritage or light African in it. PXL Efe was great, I have one of them too.

I wear the darker skins from time to time, but I always end up back in a lighter or suntanned skin. Just now I tweaked my shape to look more Russian, with more square face and jawline. You can say that isn't what I am RL either, but I love to change my avatar all the time. 90% of the time I am some Caucasian chick in SL so I am boring there too! Maybe next time I will try to look Asian. That's an avatar type I never really tried. I think I have 8-10 kimonos, but never made a shape to look Asian or tried to get a skin specially for that.

It's really not so many skins that's darker that deep tan in SL. And of free skins, it's absolutely not many. I only know of the free Splendor skins in Crestfallen.

Just got this skin yesterday:

((((oooohhhhh Noraaaaa)))) I miss her. I still have several skins and lots of boots. lol. Also some jewelry. I was so sorry to see her close.

duh, no really?
I obviously arent gonna quibble but there is a range of colours in Egypt. Hav eyou ever been there? I have.

The skin I'm wearing above is the Splendor skin mentioned by Marianne.
Brazen Woman also has a dark skin tone (based on Eloh Eliot, I think).
Both creators have made the source files available on their blogsites.

The RL "me" is Caucasian with very light skin, brown hair & light blue eyes. In SL I have a wide range of skin colors and the one that I prefer & wear all the time now is a darker skin that's a cocoa color. I wear black hair and darker eyes with this skin and it feels very "comfortable" to me even tho it's not like the RL me. If I could transfer this skin to my RL self I would.

I am Chiricahua Apache
I tend to favor finding a tone that matches my RL summer tone if i can ever find another..
the ones i find mostly are more of my winter tone than summer..that or way too dark..
If it wasn't for my clothes some think i am African.unless i am wearing a more summer tone..
it's hard to find the features in the tone i look for..but one will turn up again like my last one hehehe

this is more like my summer tone which took me forever to find but is pretty outdated skin now..


the most i see now that fit my features are more like my winter tone..


sorry for the outdated pictures..i still haven't reinstalled my photoshop after the last virus attack hehehe

My SL skin, hair, and eyes match my RL ones, down to my RL eyes being used as the model for my SL ones.

Heehee I can vouch for that. You are cute Marianne, in RL and SL.

I feel just as comfortable looking like this (which is close to my RL coloring):




As I do looking like this, which is a look which I use on occasion:




I also feel the same if my skin is blue, green, yellow or pasty white. Makes no difference to me. Just different ways to express myself at the moment and all beautiful.

I'm gonna go with Jig on this... there is quite a bit of regional variety... the average shade in Egypt, is quite a bit different than in the Ivory Coast or Ghana, which are more often associated with "African" hues.

as for me, not only do I not settle on a single skin tone (or shape for that matter) I trend towards a thinner skeleton, and high contrast skin/hair (mostly on the light side, bcause dark clothes on light skin gives a darker personality (black hat, white hat perception) than the opposite (plus it's really hard to find good light clothes for that sort of contrast look)

I also try to shoot for an overall anti-stereotype, whether it be a child genius, a serious faun, a librarian felinoid, a cheerful goth, or a dancing robot... high contrast personalities too I guess... the interplay allows for a lot of character development

RL I am Lousiana Creole. That is to say a mix of black,spanish, french and native american. Out of that mix I inherited very light cafe au lait skin, very green eyes, and avery dark almost purple auburn hair.

I still use a slider skin in SL. Why?
1. I almost got my hair and beard color right with sliders I am so NEVER going to do that with prims.
2.Never found one that didnt either look like crap in most lighting or got the skin color right.

These days my slider look is so associated with ME in world I dont think I could change it.

Careful, Ceka. I am beginning to think I may know you in RL. Or maybe not. I won't delve any deeper into it.

/me blushes

Interesting...

IRL I am very white bread fair skinned blond gray/blue eyed american girl. To me it's not in the least bit exciting....tho I do definitely look better when I'm tan and my hair lightens in the sun. Still.....blllaaagghhh lol

In SL since I've started doing my own skins....I've used just about every skin tone to represent every people on the planet. I love it and I feel no more or less comfortable in a different skin .... I am always me and I guess at 42 I really don't have any identity issues any more. I'm pretty happy with me....and I'm pretty happy bouncing around the grid as a female in ANY skin. It's all one big moving canvas to continually re-invent myself on.....but I'm very 3rd person about it. I am me....my avatar is a puppet that my soul partially inhabits while I'm in-world. Skin color is hardly a factor.....and that is what I believe IRL too. Tho I will admit I am envious of darker skin because it always seems to look so much smoother and richer.....and younger lol then fair skin.

And in SL....I don't really even pay attention to the skin tone of other avatars....meaning it doesn't even occur to me right away if they are dark skinned or goth or whatever.....IRL it's something that we notice whether it matters or not to us......in SL I find I don't even pick up on skin detail unless I make a conscious effort to focus on it. Ironic huh, since I make skins. lol

Actually.. I think also....for me.....as an artist and closet photographer (meaning I wish I had taken my photography seriously 20 years ago) I am drawn to what makes people beautiful and I've always loved the amazing variations of beauty represented around the globe. IRL I am very focused on others as an observer....and I think I probably would have been a great model scout.....male or female.....people just amaze me.