Reactions to story from Popgadget Personal Technology for Women

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  • Author unknown

    Body Image

    http://tempestinateapot.vox.com/library/post/body-image.html
    8 days ago in Tempest in a Teapot · Authority: 1

    According to researchers at Stanford (via Popgadget), having a Second Life avatar that's better looking than you are in real life can have a positive effect on your self esteem.  I would've thought having a more attractive avatar would lead to more negative body image issues, especially when it comes to weight.  If someone has a thin persona in Second Life, but is obese in real life, are they more likely to ignore their weight problem because they associate themselves with a thinner SL body?  (I'm looking down on "larger" people, by the way.  I think beauty comes in all sizes.  But you've got to admit that there is such a thing as being unhealthily overweight, just as there is an unhealthily underweight.)  Are people with thin avatars/overweight real bodies treated differently in SL?  (Think The Tyra Banks Show when she dons fat suits, then cries about how horribly she was treated.)  If so, what kind of emotional issues arise from this dichotomy? I joined Second Life recently because of an overwhelming yen to be a witch--don't ask.  My laptop is just barely able to run it, so I'm not on that often; even with better hardware, though, I don't think I'd play it more frequently than I do now (once a week, tops).  So far it's been a very body conscious experience: I have yet to see anyone with a heavy avatar.  (I'm sure there out there somewhere, but definitely not in the same proportion as in real life.)  There are sex shops everywhere; anyone with a male avatar will be pestered to frequent them.  My female avatar has been solicited for sex almost every single time I've played, and she's not overly attractive. I'll admit, when I was making my avatar, I almost gave her larger breasts than my own... not porn star huge, but bigger than my A cups.  I've been derided for my flat-chestedness since puberty by males and females alike, and it always stings.  It was tempting to finally look like a grown woman.  In the end, I kept her flat, too.  Having a busty avatar wasn't going to change the way I looked in real life, so why bother with a fantasy for a few hours a week?  I'd rather buy a push-up bra.  Actually, I've never worn one, for basically the same reason: at the end of the day, I'd have to take it off.  I'd rather work on being comfortable with myself the way I am than living a lie.