Ethnicity & Avatars

Hello citizens,

I've been an active citizen in SL for quite some time, and I wanted to discuss something with you all that I find most interesting.

Why is it that very few avatars are an ethnicity other than 'Caucasian?' I understand there are a wide variety of unique shapes and sizes, furries, non-human, and even many shades of 'tan'...but overall there are very few African American, Asian, etc...

Please understand before a single flame hits this post, that I am in no way discriminatory, nor am I trolling--this is a legitimate social-oriented discussion.

What is your input?

Thank you.

You're right, and it really makes me wonder why. But coincidentally, my avatar just became "African American" yesterday, and it's alot harder to see my facial features. I look pretty good though.

You are right on the African American part, I've seen a few, but even those are mostly lighter skinned with the African features. But I see a lot of Asian Avatars in my travels.

Mine is supposed to be Native American (or Canadian since I'm Canadian)...

Avies also tend to look like a very narrow range of the ethnic groups collectively called Caucasian, too.

Why is it that so many people look for evidence of supposed racial bias by applying ridiculous notions of quotas and percentages to a population whose composition is as far from a random cross-section of society at large as it's possible to get?

Is a Furry with white fur considered Caucasian? What about the folks with aliens and robot avatars?'

Actually, I have seen quite a few good skins and shapes for Asians. But then, having a Japanese Kitsune as a primary form, I shop a lot where Asian goods are sold. As a Kitsune, (multi-tailed anthro Japanese Spirit Fox), it's a moot point. Furry is furry, and doesn't show much, if any, Human-type racial distinctions, except for taste in clothes and accessories.

My Human Avatar is supposed to be a Caucasian who moved to Japan, so the stock skins and forms work fine for her. I have half a dozen special skins and shapes for when I want to appear more like an ethnic Japanese girl.

African/American, Negroid, etc... Is hard to find. Most of the darker skins are more like a Caribbean tan. Hardly what my neighbors in RL look like. The appearance sliders can, to some degree, do Negroid features. But it's really hard to find a suitable skin or shape for sale. But then I have never particularly wanted to be that dark, so I haven't looked that hard for darker skins. A healthy Summer tan is about as dark as I usually go for a Human form.

This was something I noticed right from the 1st day in SL. Most particularly there arnt many black women and dont jump on me because I might not use a PC vocabulary here....
Ive seen a good proportion of black male avis, a small proportion of light skinned black female avis but only one dark skinned black female avi....and she looked GREAT. Full on afro hair, looked fantastic. Id thought about getting a dark black female skin because I couldnt understand why it was such an under represented group.
Is it because dark skinned black women dont use SL or, and this is what really got to me....because when give a choice, theyd rather not have their RL skin colour.
OK thats it for my ramblings, and I hope I havent offended anyone or said something unacceptable cause that wasnt my intention.

Look, folks, the people who use Second Life are not a random cross-section of the population. As a group, they're skewed. Specifically, they're the same people who spend the most time online in the first place -- a predominantly white, predominantly middle-class population that is computer literate and affluent enough to afford the necessary hardware.

I'm not looking for evidence of racial bias. You need to re-think your post before you troll. I think you need to re-read what I wrote...and realize that's not what I'm doing. Sheesh. There's always trouble. Grow up.

It's probably nothing more than the likelihood that most SL'ers really are Euro/Caucasion, (whatever we want to call it). That's just a big guess, so don't flame me. It also might be hard to tell if an avatar is intended to be Latino. I tried to make my alt look decidedly Latino/Hispanic, and I'm pretty impressed with him. People seem to be drawn to him, possibly because I made the effort to make him look different from the norm.

I see lots of Asian women, but don't think I've ever seen an Asian man. I see quite a few African looking men, but don't think I've ever seen an African woman. I don't know what any of that means. I would hope it's all just coincidence, and not people feeling pressured under some kind of stigma.

Im 1/4 Cherokee I kind of figure my av is too.



I had a paler skin when i first started becuase at the time the whole Malibu beach tan thing was in and I didnt want to look like a clone.

Ive frequently, from the begining been mistaken for having an Asian avatar though.

Since IRL im mistaken for being Hispanic , I guess thats not too much different overall.

That's better Elmore--bring up ideas like--the demographic of SL users is predominantly 'white.'

That's a much more effective way of discussing this obviously valid topic--flaming by accusing me of looking for racial bias is pure-trolling.

Perhaps you could throw in a few more cliches straight from Forum Bickering 101, while you're at it, since these are easier to use than actually examining the content of what you wrote. Mewling about the racial diversity of a population that is itself NOT random and NOT diverse, demographically, is nothing but trolling and race-baiting. To ask the question begs the WHY, and the why can only be that you see some lack in individual players' free choice of avs. It's the same old lack-of-diversity song sung ad nauseam by the scions of political correctness, and it's not needed here.

The fact that you felt the need to preface your original post with the assertion that it was not trolling tells me you knew very well what you were doing and how your words would be received. Perhaps YOU need to re-read what you wrote, and re-think what you're tempted to post before you do so.

I notice the "skin" on your own robot avatar is about as white as it's possible to be. Why aren't you sporting a darker av, if the issue means so much to you?

I was thinking the same thing, what is the average user of SL, average active user, that uses a human form.

Shall someone create a POLL of ethnicity?

--perhaps we can at least gather what percentage of the forum goers are each race (not that the forums are a valid tie to the grid--which is something I've always stressed), but it may shed some light on the matter.

For crap sake, don't be such a drama queen. The topic of ethnicity isn't automatically about racism.

Completely rewriting your original post to make it more vitriolic is yet another example of trolling. Fortunately, I quoted your first post completely.

The demographics of computer users and those who spend their time online is a matter of public record -- and the subject of no small amount of arguing about the "digital divide." These are facts. Your own suppositions are irrelevant. Your question was itself race-based trolling and nothing more. Personally, I tire of the constant calls for "diversity" in populations that are themselves not representive of the population as a whole.

"Diversity" in most contexts is something you seek in a stock portfolio, not something you worry about in an online game.



For crap sake, don't immediately dismiss dissent as "drama." Broadly restating this as a topic of "ethnicity" doesn't accurately restate the question as it was originally asked (unless it's been edited as I type this). When one complains that avatars chosen by SL's population are not sufficiently diverse, one is obviously begging questions of race. This most certainly implies the race-baiting to which I object.

This is something that I'm constantly asked; where to find decent black/middle eastern/Indian/asian skins. I think people WOULD be more "ethnic" if they could find decent skins...

With my AV, I decided to get away from my Norwegian/Irish Heritage and go for a more Mediteranian look...and let me tell you, it didn't come cheap. Finances play a big part in this question I think as well. Getting a caucasion form is usually cheaper and there are more to choose from. If you want to think outside of the box, there's a good chance that a. The selection isn't there
b. The time and money invested in modifying your look isn't worth it
c. It's just easier to buy what's readily available

I'm glad I've taken the time and expence to get my AV looking the way I envisioned him.

You tell me that I'm using 'cliches?' Like what? "Trolling" I use one forum specific word, and I'm being 'cliche?"

I have an idea...why don't you use a few more $5 words in your post--you might impress someone--I like this sentence: "It's the same old lack-of-diversity song sung ad nauseam by the scions of political correctness, and it's not needed here."

Is that a mouth-full or what? I'm impressed...don't know about the rest of you...but I am.

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I wasn't trying to start trouble. But you certainly did.

I didn't re-write ANY thing. *shrugs*

There is not really a wide variety of ethnic skins and shapes, really. The choices are limited. I am Filipino in RL and many of the skins and shapes in SL do not really capture, what I believe is the essence of my ethnicity. So my AVI looks like a tanned, big breasted, Japanese woman. Its the closest I could get.

Thank you.

I bastardized Naughty's Zoe Gold and made it darker. I custom made my shape to look a lot like me (in the face, anyway - the rest is me, only better ). I think that if you know where to look, you will find ethnic avatars - but most people aren't looking.