HiHo did a MODA Spotlight show this past Monday featuring RFyre. After the show, Mak commanded him (in the public voice channel) to meet her in the backroom later. LOL
Anyway, the models got gift cards from RFyre, with instructions to send transaction records to Harper Beresford. Well, HiHo handed his gift card over to Opal, since, well, he doesn't need any clothes. And Opal went shopping last night then sent the transaction records and the gift card back to Harper.
This morning, Harper sent HiHo the refund and an offline IM with a rhetorical question: "... and how come women make better male avatars?!?!?" LOL
Well, I have a theory. Or two. Or three.
Theory #1
When Alt #9 was taking the then-newly-born BF #2 around to look for hair, I commented, "You notice that when you see men shopping, there's usually a woman with them?" His response was "that's to keep the men from running out and blowing clothes money on a rod and reel ... or a shot gun ... or a pair of yosemite sam mud flaps for the truck ...." So, you can ask a guy where you can buy the best HUD for anything (especially sex HUDs) or the best TV screen and he'll give you a long list of vendors with pros and cons. But if you ask him where you can buy the best skin or shoes, he'll give you the one or two places where he got his, if you're lucky.
That's also why most male avatars look alike. They all went to the same store. (I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I know there are so few good male skins out there. LOL)
Theory #2
There's this book about self-identity (but unfortunately, I can't remember the title and it's hidden somewhere in this pile of boxes in my living room) and it says that women generally think they're fatter than they really are and men think they're in better shape than they really are. So, men generally don't have issues about how they look. And they come into SL thinking they're pretty good-looking and so try to make their avatars look like their real selves. And, ummm, let's just say that it doesn't translate well to the medium.
Either that or they get some satisfaction in the fact that a drop-dead gorgeous woman (virtual though she may be) would be so willing to hop into the sack with someone who looks like him.
Meanwhile, women who make male avatars are trying to recreate their dream boat, so, yeah, he'll look better than your average guy.
Theory #3
I think men tend to drink a few beers before they tackle the unpleasant task of modifying their avatar. Capos Calderwood (aka Alex Whitmore irl) has a song that goes, "Beauty... it's in the eye of the beerholder... Tonight we'll drink until we look okay..." So they just keep drinking until their avatar looks okay.
*grins*
Now, keep in mind that this doesn't apply to ALL men; I'm just generalizing. Besides, tbh, I've actually seen quite a few really good ones out there, created by men without any help from a woman. Unfortunately, as Kit and I were lamenting just last night, most of them are gay.
*sighs*
On the other hand, some men know enough to ask a woman for help and so end up looking like a young Robert Redford.
*swoons*
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Five magic words. Of course, you have to say it firmly, in a tone that says, "This is not up for negotiation." And, of course, ...
HiHo is a hottie. Good thing he's honest about his identity in his profile or women would be over that.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, let me preface that I know MANY RL straight men with very attractive avatars. There is a subclass in SL of dandies and toreadors who groom themselves with particular care.
However, having sold to men and worked with men on styling their avatars, I would say there is also a large population of them who don't like to shop, want to look exactly like themselves, warts and all, or would prefer to be complete cartoon characters without any human male characteristics. We all know some like these. Women generally make better male avatars than men do.
I have two theories about the above. The first is simple, the second more abstract.
First, I think quite simply, most women grew up with dolls. We were given a bunch of outfits for our dolls, we put them on, we mixed and matched, we styled their hair, and we learned how to dress up the doll. Most men didn't have this. So dressing their avatar or their doll is a struggle for them. That's the simple explanation.
The harder one is a theory about the commodification of the female body, how we ascribe meaning on to it in a way we don't to the male body, how women are the main consumers in this postmodern age (coming from an industrialized age), so we are the main shoppers. Heck, I could write a book about this (and maybe someday when I finish that darn PhD, I might), but what it comes down to is that we make women's bodies have meaning in a way that's harder on men and we also are accustomed as women to being the ones to fashion the meaning from the materials at hand. Therefore, it's easier to find women's clothes, hair, etc. in SL because women are the main shoppers and women's bodies are used to convey meaning in a way that men's bodies aren't. We are adorned with markers of our class, race and gender in a way men just aren't and we have been for ages. (Remember that David was unclothed--Venus was not.) Do NOT make me cite French philosophers to explain this.
Does this make sense? It's morning, I haven't had enough coffee, and I am looking down the long tunnel of uninstalling and reinstalling SL to make voice work.
Well suffice it to say, again, that HiHo is a hottie. I have made a few male avatar hotties in my day, and boys, you need to get your dollies out and play and catch up with us!
Oh, one other thing. Males in SL all look alike because they ALL wear that darn freebie Steve skin. Argh!
ReplyDeleteFirst, a disclaimer. Prior to the RFyre fashion show, I had known Harper only by reputation. Never met her, never talked to her, never even been anywhere near her vicinity.
ReplyDeleteIn the two and a half years I've been in SL, only twice have I had the very pleasant surprise of discovering great wisdom and deep knowledge behind seemingly frivolous avatars. Harper is the third of those surprises. And I have a feeling that there's more.
I'm looking forward to reading that book.