A recurring theme in Second Life: Vanity

[ananoelle 779]

1 hour ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Is this the equivalent of that one guy who shows up in makeup communities on Reddit to declare that women who prefer a natural look are much better and morally superior to women who are tricking men with cosmetics?

Lmbo it makes me laugh when men and some women believe this kinda crap. 

[Arduenn Schwartzman 1,192]

11 hours ago, Bree Giffen said:

People can be so vain in SL. When will they learn? They will never look as good as me.

Or as me IRL, for that matter.

Edited June 13 by Arduenn Schwartzman
Unrelated picture added for decorative purposes

[CoffeeDujour 4,220]

But can you do this?

 

[Bitsy Buccaneer 2,029]

Given that there's so much effort put into RL advertising and media to try to make us feel lousy about ourselves, our bodies and our homes so we buy crap we don't need, it makes sense some turn to a place like SL to try to alleviate the pressure. There are positives to that of course, like it's less expensive to try to meet these hyped-up needs in SL than in RL and it's easier on our landfills. But there are also negatives, especially in the way that doing so reinforces the exaggerated needs in our minds.

I've used descriptives like hyped-up and exaggerated because advertising and media work because they play on real, legitimate needs but turn them into something different, expectations which can't be met (because if they were, we wouldn't buy as much).

I think what we do here can be useful to explore what's going on in our minds, what our needs are (both legitimate and hyped-up) and how we're trying to meet them.

[AyelaNewLife 1,591]

11 hours ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Is this the equivalent of that one guy who shows up in makeup communities on Reddit to declare that women who prefer a natural look are much better and morally superior to women who are tricking men with cosmetics?

Nah, that's the inevitable "mesh = style over substance" Luddite-posters. They're inevitable.

[AyelaNewLife 1,591]

23 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Another way to think of this then is that it isn't about "vanity" in the traditional sense, but rather about self-creation, identity, and self-expression. SL is, as its very name implies, all about creating a "new" version of oneself, and that's what most of us do here. To a great degree, what you are calling "vanity" is really an articulation of that: the urge to build new identities for ourselves. And one of the more obvious and easy ways to accomplish that is by individuating ourselves by our looks. So, when someone compliments me on my look, they aren't flattering my god-given person: they are expressing appreciation for the identity that I've constructed for myself.

I agree. I worked hard on my appearance, and it is not some cookie-cutter out-of-the-box default look. Each photo on my Flickr page is the result of several hours of work, from the staging, wardrobe, posing, framing and lighting to the out-of-world editing I do. The end result is artwork, no different to a painting. Calling it "vanity" comes across as an attempt to invalidate the effort and creativity I've poured into the visual side of SL - and I reject that utterly.

[Beth Macbain 6,156]

25 minutes ago, AyelaNewLife said:

The end result is artwork, no different to a painting. Calling it "vanity" comes across as an attempt to invalidate the effort and creativity I've poured into the visual side of SL - and I reject that utterly.

What you do is absolutely art, but it makes me think that mine actually is a little vanity. I do very little setup, use a free online tool for some really basic editing, and then post it. I certainly don't put the work you do into it so it can hardly be called artwork, but I love posting pics of myself on Flickr so maybe that is a little vanity? Except it's not me, it's an avatar.

Which, I guess, leads to the question... can vanity even be applied to an avatar? Would pride be a better way to look at it, maybe?

[Scylla Rhiadra 14,280]

5 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

I do very little setup, use a free online tool for some really basic editing, and then post it. I certainly don't put the work you do into it so it can hardly be called artwork, but I love posting pics of myself on Flickr so maybe that is a little vanity?

Someone who knows what they're doing, and has even a simple "vision" of what they are communicating, can produce something that is legitimately "art" using a pencil and a scrap of paper.

YOU (that is, your avatar) are the art, here, surely. And is it "vanity" to want people to see and engage with your work? If so, every artist is hopelessly vain.

[Ceka Cianci 4,068]

World don't hate on us,we're fabulous

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan 146]

On 6/12/2019 at 7:20 AM, Gopi Passiflora said:

Maybe I'm being Captain Obvious here, but I think it's safe to conclude that a recurring theme of Second Life is vanity. We Residents are obsessed with our looks and making ourselves even more beautiful. We admire and envy others' looks as well.

SL has had a large amount of Pixel Vanity and Barbie Dream House XTREEM even before I joined in 2006.  The tagline of one early SL fashion blog, Linden Lifestyles, was:  "Our Wardrobe is Better than Barbie's"  And trust me, I have a lot of Pixel Vanity, after all CC Rule #1 is:  Is the CC Pretty? If not, the CC needs to do more shopping.

Also, CC Rule #1:  CC must look pretty, If CC does not look pretty, someone must pay.  Either the Lindens, or myself because I need to do more shopping.

And CC Rule #1:  CC is all about the pretty, more pretty is better than less, if something make CC less pretty it is a bad thing that must be destroyed...if something make CC more pretty it is a good thing.

They're all Rule #1, so I don' t have to make the effort to count to #2.  I have more, they're pretty much all justification for more shopping.

 

15 hours ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Is this the equivalent of that one guy who shows up in makeup communities on Reddit to declare that women who prefer a natural look are much better and morally superior to women who are tricking men with cosmetics?

Oh, they do it on Reddit now?  They used to do it back in alt.fashion on USENET in the late 90's/early oughts.

[Blaise Glendevon 290]

 

 

 

2

22 hours ago, CronoCloud Creeggan said:

Oh, they do it on Reddit now?  They used to do it back in alt.fashion on USENET in the late 90's/early oughts.

Anywhere where sexually frustrated, socially incompetent men gather, there will be some fellows confused about the fact that I wasn't born with lashes that bump up against my glasses. 

[Love Zhaoying 9,687]

2 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Anywhere where sexually frustrated, socially incompetent men gather, there will be some fellows confused about the fact that I wasn't born with lashes that bump up against my glasses. 

My RL lashes due, because glaucoma meds made them grow.

[Luna Bliss 2,358]

1 hour ago, Love Zhaoying said:

glaucoma meds made them grow.

your kitty whiskers too?

[Lindal Kidd 10,899]

I am NOT vain!  Now tell me, does this dress make my butt look big?

[Love Zhaoying 9,687]

37 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

2 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

glaucoma meds made them grow.

your kitty whiskers too?

I made my whiskers, years ago.

[Love Zhaoying 9,687]

2 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I am NOT vain!  Now tell me, does this dress make my butt look big?

Let me guess, you hope the answer is “yes”?

[Love Zhaoying 9,687]

On 6/13/2019 at 1:51 AM, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

Or as me IRL, for that matter.

 

[LittleMe Jewell 21,342]

15 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I am NOT vain!  Now tell me, does this dress make my butt look big?

If it is a system skirt/dress, then definitely YES

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan 146]

48 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

your kitty whiskers too?

The funny thing is, you have to be careful with the application of Latisse and Lumigan ( the eyelash treatment and the glaucoma med that is the same medication) because they can increase hair growth in other places as well.  IIRC cheeks were reported, this is why you have to use the special applicator.

[Madelaine McMasters 19,165]

On 6/13/2019 at 11:59 AM, Ceka Cianci said:

World don't hate on us,we're fabulous

 

And sooooo ferocious...

 

[Amina Sopwith 1,955]

4 hours ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Anywhere where sexually frustrated, socially incompetent men gather, there will be some fellows confused about the fact that I wasn't born with lashes that bump up against my glasses. 

I love the complaint that cosmetics are "lying", as if I expect anyone to believe that my eyelids really are purple.

[Sylvia Tamalyn 6,820]

6 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

I love the complaint that cosmetics are "lying", as if I expect anyone to believe that my eyelids really are purple.

They're not??

[Amina Sopwith 1,955]

20 minutes ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

They're not??

No, they're not, sorry.

My lips really are fire engine red, though. And those black winged lines coming out of the corners of my eyes? Totally au naturel. I tell you, the mug shot passport photos were a right pain.

The same people who complain about cosmetics being "lying" would be the first to lose their minds if women all started going makeup free and wearing hessian sacks. The sack would be lying, though. You're not REALLY made of coarse, woven fabrics with a drawstring, are you? ARE YOU???

[Madelaine McMasters 19,165]

6 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

You're not REALLY made of coarse, woven fabrics with a drawstring, are you? ARE YOU???

Now that you ask...

 

[Selene Gregoire 5,959]

9 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

No, they're not, sorry.

My lips really are fire engine red, though. And those black winged lines coming out of the corners of my eyes? Totally au naturel. I tell you, the mug shot passport photos were a right pain.

The same people who complain about cosmetics being "lying" would be the first to lose their minds if women all started going makeup free and wearing hessian sacks. The sack would be lying, though. You're not REALLY made of coarse, woven fabrics with a drawstring, are you? ARE YOU???

 

Well...not a drawstring. Will a zipper do?

Edited June 14 by Selene Gregoire