Best way to tell someone their shape is a little off

[Kelli May]

 

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Clarissa Lowell wrote:

 

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Kelli May wrote: It'd make sense (in terms of interface design) for a setting of 50 in most osliders to give you figure of human proportions. Just try it! 50 in height, head size, leg, arm, neck, torso and hip length will put a female av at 183cm (a shadow over 6 feet) tall. That might not sound so bad, but check the proportions. 9 'heads' tall (humans are normally around 7 - 7.5), with short arms and over-long legs. No coincidence that these are the commonest problems I've seen in SL avs. 

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Don't know if this is still the case, but in the 'old days' of Second Life, we were told one way to make a good shape if you were uneasy about working the sliders was to just set everything to 50.

 

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I just made an 'all 50' av shape by way of experiment and... not really flattering!

[Penny Patton]

I forget if I already mentioned it in this thread, but to further confuse the appearance editor, the sliders are skewed differently between male and female avatars. Men generally have perfectly proportional arms around 60-70 on the arm length slider.

Women need that same slider cranked up to 90-100 to have proportional arms. If a woman is really tall, even 100 may leave her arms a bit short.

 The appearance editopr is riddled with quirks like that. Without tools, or at least a good set of template shapes to start users off, it's no wonder SL's population looks like it does.

[Penny Patton]

Oh, and one other thing. Notice the seam across the belly of the avatar in Kelli's screenshot? That's not shoddy texture work, there's actually a seam there between the torso and lower body and it will always be visible unless you have an unusually flat belly. Well, unusual for the way the human body is shaped, in SL concave bellies are practically the norm.

 

 That's more an argument for why we need a new av mesh than the appearance editor, tho.

[Chelsea Malibu]

Perhaps you could do what I say..."you shape sucks, need some help?" lol.. actually i usually just ask if i can tweak their shape to match their skin better and fix it myself with a demo skin of what they have one.

[Mila Edelman]

 

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Penny Patton wrote:

There was a thread on breast size a couple of months ago. One thing I've noticed is that people underestimate their breast size to an extreme degree. I've seen people who clearly have DD's talking about their "modest B cups". Then again, I think I may be the only person on the grid who has actually taken the time to measure their chest. (Which you can do by hopping on a pose stand and using tiny 10cm prims as a measuring tape.)

My avatar is pretty exaggerated in that area so I'm not criticizing large breasts, but it's interesting to see people with huge breasts who seem to honestly think they're small, in the same way you tend to see 7-8' tall giants walking around stating in their profiles that they're only 6' tall. It really messes with perceptions.

 

As far as things like arm length, human arms tend to fall within a very narrow ratio of proportion. Your arms (hands included) should be, when stretched out to either side, as long as you are tall. Within about 3 inches. Given some very odd limits to the avatar shape editor, women have a much more difficult time getting proportional arm lengths with taller avatars. My avatar is 5'7" (actual height measured by prim, not the incorrect height of the appearance editor and most scripted height detectors), and my arms are just right at about 90 on the arm length slider.

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I have definitely noticed that. Someone walking around with zeppelins thinking she's a very small size. I'd honestly like to see more REAL A, B, C and D cups walking around, just to give folks a perspective.

 

I've tried to explain, before, to Amazonians that they'll look better in vintage (when that's what they want to wear) if they shrink a bit in height and wear a realistic chest. No woman of respectable character would stuff her bra as much as it appears they do. I will rarely explain this unless asked, but when asked, you've opened that door. I'll speak my mind.

[Mila Edelman]

 

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Clarissa Lowell wrote:

 

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Mila Edelman wrote:

 

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Kelli May wrote:

I've been told I need bigger boobs, a smaller butt, a larger butt, a slimmer waist, shorter arms, longer legs, narrower shoulders, less muscle, less fat... but also complimented for the same 'deficiencies'.

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The "bigger boobs" part cracked me up. Not because someone had the nerve to say it (yay anonymous world--I've had men say that to me, too), but I've heard it before.

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Some men try to pick women up by "negging" them - in real life and in Second Life.

neg - verb - see: mild to outrageous insult in an attempt to deflate a woman's self esteem and make her ripe for the picking.

I hate negging. :smileymad:

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Err, does that ever work?

I wish more women would be happier to be alone, instead of wanting to go home with a creep like that. Self-esteem, people. Gotta have it.

My partner makes a joke like that, we've known each other long enough (10 years now) that I know he's joking. And he knows I know that. A stranger says that, he'd best be ready to wear whatever it is I'm drinking.

[Dahlia Shamen]

you know.. usually i just tell them. not in a rude or mean way..  mostly people are thankful that i brought it up.. on occasion i have had some people get offended and i've had to apologize.. but i have no problem doin that.. once someone got furious that i woudl dare to point out an imperfection with their avatar.. i simply said "my mistake" and muted them.. lol. is the price you pay for trying to help. if you don't mind the possibility that you'll have to apologise for offending someone, or maybe use your mute button.. i'd say go for it..

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

 I once mentioned to a male avatar his head was a bit on the smallish side and the resulting conversation direction after that left me blushing. I do not comment anymore unless it's a friend, and then only if they are ruthed..