Let Me Introduce My Second Self

Adjusting my personal appearance on Second Life was very different than the usual ritual that I go through in the real world. Instead of rummaging through my closet and drawers; I searched through folders and browsed a new world of clothing options. After many attempts at finding free clothes I realized that there were some similarities between the two worlds. For example, I am broke in both and indecisive when it comes to anything fashion related. I did not want to settle on an ensemble that I was not pleased with, so I created my own. My overall avatar appearance reflects my real life look with a more polished surface.
The default woman that showed up after I set up a Second Life account was doomed from the beginning. I knew nothing about virtual worlds; except that I did not want to be portrayed as a default. The first thing I focused on was my avatar’s hair. The generic brown hair was nothing compared to the fiery red hair I had envisioned. Trying to change the hair was a difficult task for me. I spent a significant amount of time being bald. This resembled my real life struggle to maintain my unruly curly hair. Finally, I found a free hairstyle that was red and straight. In the real world it takes me about 45 minutes to straighten my hair. So I could not pass up the opportunity to have easily styled hair. Another factor in picking my avatar’s hairstyle was the bangs. I just recently got my real life bangs cut. While, I do like my new bangs, they fall into my eyes a lot. The bangs on Second Life stay out of the avatar’s face. My real world hair is unpredictable and bothersome. Although, on Second Life I can expect my hair to be the same stylish up do, no matter when I log in.
The face and body were the next priority in adjusting my avatar’s appearance. Trying to closely match my natural features; I noticed I was enhancing them. My Second Life eye color is richer, I am taller, and my lips are fuller. This is when I discovered the difference between how I see myself and what I wish I saw. There is where another real life and second life dissimilarity emerges. Instead of buying colored contacts, wearing high heels, and getting collagen injected in my lips; I just make a few clicks of my mouse. Second Life allows people to take their personal appearance and go much, much further with it.
Lastly, I decided to create my entire outfit. I tried on many colors and textures. I asked my roommate about every slight change I made. Beginning to resent her constructive criticism, I focused on what I wanted my avatar to look like. I wanted her to be fully clothed, unlike some of the skimpy clothes that were sold in Second Life stores. I also wanted a retro vibe. This resulted in a leopard print top, under a gray cardigan, with a black poufy skirt. The red leggings under the skirt brought some color to the one-of-a-kind creation. To top of the look I added some black ballet flats. In the real world I usually wear flip flops; however, my avatar is more sophisticated than my everyday style.
Keeping high standards in personal appearances is much more feasible on Second Life. That is why I took the opportunity to create a fancy, yet fun style for my avatar. My appearances in the real world and on Second Life are not that similar but they both reflect my personality.