Ethnicity & Avatars

Open mouth. Insert caucasian foot.

Good point Takahiro. Perhaps if ethnic noobie skins were a choice for folks when registering we would see much more racial diversity in SL.

Default SL avatar used to have very deep orange skin tone, like the second person on the right on this forum header picture. THis is not "Caucasian" by any stretch of imagination, yet having it as default for years didn't really affect people appearances much.

A lot of this "zOMG there's no diversity in SL" thing comes from observer's own reality filter, so to speak. Case in point, someone with AV that has skin tone of Halle Berry or Adriana Lima or even darker isn't considered as person with part- or full African heritage, they are simply pegged as "tanned Caucasian". In similar manner lot of people who watch Japanese cartoons consider characters featured there to be Caucasians, while they are actually supposed to be Japanese. This perception slant extends on appearance of SL AVs.

It doesn't help the default AV shape from which all facial morphs are derrived *is* Caucasian, as that makes it considerably more difficult to introduce into the AV features of different ethnicity. But it doesn't really mean all these AVs you see and subconsciously classify as "Caucasians" actually *are* in their own minds.

This very clearly brings to point the technological limitations of the SL client. LL has begun to move in a positive direction by incorporating some ethnically diverse avatar choices into the account activation process, but this is all of about 8 choices. Most of them are simply fashion/lifestyle statements (City Chic, Cyber Goth) as opposed to true ethnic backgrounds.

Take a look at http://www.facegen.com/modeller.htm (FaceGen). This is the type of software interface that allows people the freedom to make thier avatars reflect the diversity we see in RL. A curious thing to note is that this application can work with any UVW once customized. For about $600 (application+customizer+redistribution license) and a little time anyone can create the specific look they want for SL. Shape is still a bit of a problem, but a good skin can create about 70% of the illusion we see in a final look (IMHO). The only other alternative right now is to work with what skin artists have to offer because (let's be honest) the client defaults suck and very few people rely on them any more.

Ironically, when I first started, I thought I was in a default Asian avatar . . .

When I joined SL, I was thrilled to find an 'irish woman' skin in my inventory. Jaysus, was I horrified when I put it on.....bloody awful! I'm still looking for the designer, gonna give him a piece of my mind... Anyone who thinks that that's what a 'typical Irish woman' looks like is way way way off track....lol

In SL you can be whatever you want to be, there are no limits so just go for it..... who gives a flying f**k what anyone thinks....

Oh isn't that thing awful? I had the same reaction. Yay went to...Yuck!

Ok - I only thought of this now as I see this thread again. I just picked a lion avatar - but instead of going for the "norm" I got a black lion. There was a white lion, but I already know a white lion, and anyway, "white lion" isn't Caucasian. What would be the Caucasian one? The tan lion? Anyway, probably not of any interest, except to me, and I'm sure there are no ethnicity element involved.

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You are so adorable!

All the skins that are included in the starter inventory were graciously donated by various SL designers who were not compensated for them in any way. Be glad there's anything in that folder at all.

My furry avatar is a grey tabby cat....that's not Caucasian too, is it? My Tiny is a grey tabby as well.....maybe a fixation of some kind...


Hey, the Irish woman skin looks like me after a few beers...I turn all red cheeked (IN THE FACE!!!) too.

I have a brown Tiny rabbit - where does this belong?

Oh no, WHY does that make me think of that stupid joke with the bear and the little white rabbit....

I don't know ...?

/me runs in, all out of breath

Is this the Friday Thread? Sorry I'm late!

LL makes it perfectly possible to replicate any real life ethnic group and a lot more besides. It's natural that people want there avatars in general to atleast look a bit like them - a hotter, younger, slimmer them - so they can feel more comfortable with the pretence that their avatar is themselves. In essence, most people's avatars are what they wished they looked like in real life (most, I said). Personally, I doubt there are millions of people of African descent out there wishing they were white, which leaves only one other explanation - and a pretty boring one at that I'm afraid; it's mostly white people using SL.

Why try to make it sound more complicated than it is?

Been to Ireland many a time. I thought it was pretty accurate actually.

Overall about 91% of the UK population are white. Only about 2% of the population of London are though - or so it seems - and only half of them speak English.

I agree with you that sl should have a definate ethnic id. I also beleive that sl should also have communities for differant races. I am attempting to lead a fight to have a pinoy community created in sl where the current and new members of sl can choose to have as their home point. please help support the definate ethnic identification and communities for differant races of the world

My avatar, by accident of a freebie skin and shape I found that I like, looks more Asian than Caucasian. Not necessarily Japanese-Asian either, she has a darker tone than the average Japanese person. And bleached hair. (Which is nothing like how I look in RL - caucasian with pale skin and brown hair). I find all this very fascinating.

As far as statistics go I am less interested in the actual race of avatars but to what extent they resemble or are different from their owners. Do people tend to copy their real-life selves or make something different?

And those that do spend their time in SL pretending not to be

I actually own the CROW skin from CMFF. Chip is an excellent artist and his skin is very realistic and detailed. As a male white european caucasion living in the deep south (ie redneck) I felt very uncomfortable wearing the skin since I don't want to represent something I am not.

I know my avatar isn't true to life anyway, he isn't an old, dumpy, limping, white guy. I feel that representing myself as an african american in SL could cause problems with my casual aquaintances while in-world.

Good topic Michael.

"CX"

Yeah my male alt has the chip skin - it is very very high quality piece of work (considering the price) the detailing is amazing expecially when you ramp your avatar rendeing up to full. I like being "african american" in Sl even though I am mainly white in RL.

People say I look like Howard from the Halifax ads *grins* - but I did sort of model the shape on him so it's largely unsurprising.

Iyoba is either light skinned African American or bi-racial. I would like her to be a bit darker, but slider skin tone does not realisticly render darker shades. Yes, they are there, but they LACK the greyish/bluish/purplish undertones of real African American skin. Also at the darkest colors, they turn the standard features to mud. Third, at the very darkest colors, the eyes look weird because very dark skinned black people have ivory not white sclera.

Therefore, my avatar is at the light end of the color range for her ethnicity. Her features though are thick and I have had her hair in twists and microbraids/corn-rows. System hair handles a corn-row texture very well. Making Iyoba a nonbraided natural hair style has been a lot harder.

And, no I don't see many African American avatars. I think some of this comes from the fact that many SL residents are not only white but they don't work with or live alongside African Americans on a day-to-day basis. I am caucasian in "real life," but Iyoba reflects my reality. I feel my best creative work, including my avatar, comes from what I know.

Probably because the vast majority of people who log on are Caucasian? Just a thought...


http://www.secondscripter.com/

wow this one had been buried nearly a year 0.o