If I Have A Choice, Why Do I Look Like This?

First of all, I don't always look like this. And it's the system skirts that make bottoms look so large, but (hee, I said "but") I gave her some extra for realism.

Let us begin by describing little Lludmila: she's short (4'8" without shoes), she's (OMG!) green with bright red lipstick, her hair is white or grey, and her eyes are black that is surrounded by more black. And she has a rather large fanny and smallish breasts. She wears "contacts" with crescent moon reflections in them. Occasionally, she sports a doting circle of flies. The nose is rather large, the grin is almost like The Joker's. It's forced and ironic, now that I look at it. And don't ask to see inside the mouth. This is a zombie skin I got for free two Hallowe'ens ago and decided I loved. Let's just say this little figure is eminently unkissable.

I was reading Gwynneth Llewellyn's blogpost, Being In Shape, and came across some interesting observations that made me think (ouch!). "There is some irony," she says, "about a virtual shape that looks somehow "more real" than others... because it has flaws." There you go - that's what I was aiming for, something that looked "more real" because the bottom was too big and the breasts too small and the height too short for poseballs. Throw in the green skin and you have a realistic shape with a totally unrealistic skin - which should make little Lludmila stand out.

At the same time, the shape makes it difficult to find clothing that fits properly or even looks good (not to mention how the colors might clash with the green). To fix that, I made other avatars, some of them male. Gwynneth Llewellyn more usually connects this with people with strong personalities, high degrees of of self-esteem, lots of confidence, and strong wills. Either that or it's pure self expression. I'll have to go with the self-expression. I think I'm pretty low on the self-esteem and confidence index. Wha-at? You don't think you can have a strong personality and low self-esteem? I do think that my personality is strong and that it overrides any shape I put it in.

So why do I look like this? I wish to stand out, but not be Mrs. Nafkewitz, ya know? I want to chat with you, not hop on a poseball with you. Oy!

So, What Do I Consider Slutty? Part I: Casual Slutty

There is nothing at all wrong with dressing slutty, I'd like to point out to begin with. It's just something that I don't want my avs doing on a regular basis. Yes, yes, I have been known to appear with the black tape pasties, but because I think they're funny and just briefly, and not because I plan on walking around SL that way.

I am in no way an expert on fashion, but I know what I like and what I think looks good on various avs. Above is an example of what I consider slutty: the jeans so ripped that they would only hang together in a pixelated state(a good use of the virtual world - I mean, why wear what can only logically be worn in RL?) and the tank so torn as to be almost useless as coverage. Adding the pastie is a nicety unparalleled. I have nothing against big hair and make-up so heavy I almost didn't need to put the black tape over her eyes. But, it's slutty, too. And don't get me started on avatar's lips. They are all enormous. Some of them are so large that they look like certain parts at a different location.

Aren't the heart-shaped pasties sweet? Not sure what the open-zip craze is about, but if I did that in RL, I'd have a lot more pants I could still wear. Don't those breasts look like they're about to burst? That can't be comfortable. No one's natural breasts look like that. Why would you wear virtual breasts that look like fake RL breasts? It's okay for the tummy and legs to look stretched and taut - you can get that with exercize, but breasts are just fat and glands and subject to something called Gravity. Heard of it? Oh, sorry! I totally missed the support bra in that outfit! So, it's not done with mirrors! Ah, I see.

There's a time and place for these outfits: stripper bars and Crack Town, for example, but I ran into these while shopping. Avs will wear anything while shopping (ballgowns come to mind -

and we all know how few chances there are to dress up in the virtual world [coff coff]) and I have no quarrel with that. Attempts to shock, like the above examples, just inure the public to the nakedness.

So, what do I think looks casual but not slutty?

Hmm, maybe it's all in the attitude.

Dream of the Red Ballgown

Red is not really my color. I'm not sure who can wear red, but I think it's someone with darker (and perhaps less green) skin and hair. Nevertheless, I really liked this gown from Dana at the Clothing Fair, although the skirt is crazy. The panels of the skirt have a brocade pattern reminescent of the pattern on the bodice. [Oh dear, I hadn't meant to sound like I was pretending to know anything.] It gave me something to wear with that awesome jewelry from GaNKed!

I really dread accessorizing. It takes long enough to get dressed in SL without having to match up your clothes with more than shoes and appropriate hairstyles. That huge exposed display area between the chin and the nipples is crying out for something, though.

While I dread accessorizing, I adore clunky jewelry. One of my real life friends scoffed that the earrings I made in RL (tm) would stretch out the holes in one's ears. GaNKeD style makes my little head swim, no twiddly bangles or fiddly necklaces you have to zoom in on to appreciate here! Not only are the parures in-your-face gorgeous, but I've come away from that place with armloads of freebies. Bless their creator for such generosity! Here also is an example of something you can do in SL that you can't in RL. Those enormous cuffs and the necklace are just gems embedded in the arms and chest. They maintain their shape through the magic of the building scripts, locking them in place.

Umm, the black things are my flies. Black goes with everything, right?

Before going out to dance in this dress with its crazy panels, I tested it out with Cal, forcing him to put on the burgundy suit in hopes of blending in. It passed the Viennese Waltz test, but when we hopped on some dance balls later, we both got lost in the chrysanthemum effect.

I thought the rezzing of the parure was amusing. It looked like a scene out of "The Incredibles."

Flies by fuschia (Gift from a Friend who Knows Me Too Well)

Shoes ... who cares, you can't see them in this thing.

Hair by ETD

Zombie Skin by Absentia - a Halloween gift from 2 years ago.
Luna Eyes by [OMFG]

Shape - I make my own shapes, thankyewverymuch

Cal - available on request for parties.

And Cheap

In vain I have looked for free or cheap clothing for the unslutty avatar in Second Life. Okay, not totally in vain. Freebies from the designers are better than ever and I follow those other freebie blogs slavishly, but a great deal of what I see appears to appeal to actual, as opposed to virtual, young people. I want my avatar to look elegant, but not ... well, slutty. I'm not interested in faddish fashions, like those clunky shoes (that I wore in the 70s). I recoil from stilettos that look painful and ... well, prostitute-y. I don't have anything against prostitutes, I just don't want to be mistaken for one [which causes awkward moments and I have enough awkward moments in Real Life (tm)].

This blog is intended to highlight what I consider to be unslutty and inexpensive clothing that appeals to me, one of the over 50-ish undead. It's not meant as a daily resource of what's hot and free, because I just don't have the time for that. Much of the artwork (even system clothes can be art) created and appearing in SL is breathtaking in its beauty, delightful in its playfulness, or just plain looks good on someone whose skin has gone green. Sometimes it even works on my other avs and they will appear also.