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No Anorexia Second Life
By Grazia Horwitz | September 27, 2007
RL master photographer Oliviero Toscani, who has been responsible for Benetton campaigns (remember the Aids ads?), has been shocking the Milan people with his No Anorexia billboard for the rather unknown brand No.l.Ita during the fashion week. In Italy as of this year, the models will have to present a medical attest that states their health and the absence of an eating disorder prior to be hired for a runway gig. This following the years long discussion of the ever skinnier models, and the eventual effect of that on the body image concept of women and young girls in particular.
SL photographer Pauline Baxter is shocking the residents with her SL interpretation of this campaign: No Anorexia Second Life. The skinny model discussion is going on in SL as well, although I believe that most of the overly skinny avies that you see is more a question of not knowing how to work the sliders than true cases of virtual anorexia. However, Paper Couture during their Fall ‘07 show made a clear statement when they decided to star voluptuous fashionista Swirly Cyclone on their runway, and designer Grace Winnfield made an equally clear but opposite statement when she announced in her model search that she was looking for skinny, “think TALL and VERY VERY Model THIN. Curves will not improve your chances” avatars. Anyway, I think this photo is as shocking as it’s RL counterpart. Comments both on Olivieri’s campaign as on Pauline Baxter’s work are welcome, I would like to know how you perceive the ideal body in SL.
Topics: Opinion |
I find anorexic avies just as preposterous as pictures of RL bone-thin models. They both glamorize unattainable “ideals.” Of course, I could never have my SL figure in RL, but it’s much more realistic than many that I have seen. I believe that people who make their avies rail-thin on purpose have a warped sense of what female bodies should be, and I can only hope that sense doesn’t make them miserable in RL.
Posted by: Tamara Kirshner on September 27th, 2007 at 11:16 pmBeing a real-life resident of Milan, I was horribly shocked and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the first “No Anorexia” bilboard. Nonetheless, I think they are a very, very good idea; the very shock-factor acting as a slap in the face of the hysterical and frenzied chase for the super skinny. However, I also think the tide is slowly changing, women like Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johanssen and Beyoncé are proving that curves are beautiful and sexy.
I don’t think SL has an anorexia problem (admittedly my own avatar is on the skinny (but healthy) side), but rather breasts and butts blown out of proportion, combined with waif-like waists — silicone pumped porn star shapes, in other words. :)
Posted by: Milla Michinaga on September 27th, 2007 at 11:21 pmYay CURVES! I bought a Torridwear shape, because I wanted hips… and I have tweaked it a bit to get the look I wanted - which is far from the Barbie doll look I see so frequently. My av is short, fit and curvy. Some clothes don’t fit right because of it.
Posted by: Seraphina Writer on September 28th, 2007 at 12:36 amI have a version of my avie that is on the fuller woman side as well as the regular one that I use.
I believe that SL models should have a portfolio that demonstrates a variety of shape sizes. While shape and size in SL are purely an aesthetic decision, it’s also good to consider the influence that such representations might have on the lives of real people.
Posted by: Tesla Miles on September 28th, 2007 at 12:50 ami think the campaign is ok dont know if it makes sense in sl though …i mean most avies are skinny anyway so you can see that most people think skinny is beautiful
people tell me my avi is a lil to skinny sometimes lol but im skinny in rl so why should i make my av look thicker
Posted by: claudine jewell on September 28th, 2007 at 1:22 amVirtually anorexic models do NOT help those of us who choose to have more virtually “plump” avatars - what looks good on a rail-thin avatar does not necessarily look good - or even in it’s proper place! - on a non-anorexic avatar!
I’m speaking, of course, as someone who is NOT rail-thin in RL either, and can’t find a damn thing fashionable for “the new fat” of a ladies’ size 16. :P
Posted by: Alexandra Rucker on September 28th, 2007 at 2:12 amWell this type of advertising is relevant in a different way. Despite SL being a virtual world, digitalized and we all have an “ideal” of how we want our avatars to look like, we are still human with our programmed cultural ideals of beauty. It seems that quite a few designers make items, such as belts and skirts, at a certain range for their clients. My avatar is on the smaller side, short with thinner hips and one of my SL sisters is larger, more full figured. We both have problems with adjusting items due to our body shapes.
So there is an average of what some designers perceive an avatar should fit, I might add though that there are some who have large and small sizes which is very welcomed. We all still bring into this virtual world, our thoughts on what beauty is and that is usually influenced by real-life media and social pressures that we experience day to day offline.
So perhaps anorexia, as an eating and psychological disorder, isn’t such a physical problem in second life, but the mentality can be very real there. I know some people look at their avatars and make cosmetic and body changes because they are unhappy with something making them look fat, or doesn’t fit right and viola! easily modified changes. Is that necessarily good for our mental health? That we have the opportunity to insta-change to look better? Or should we be satisfied with the way our avatars look and accept the fact that some things just wont fit and move on.
I do not see so many anorexic looking avatars, as I do see the “big bewbed, ghetto booty” types. I agree with Milla that there is a trend more to that style than waif life avatars, but then again that is mostly influenced by a male orientated viewpoint. Which brings to question why do we make our avatars look the way we do and why do we dress the way we do? I would surmise that a lot of female avatars do so to attract males.
I personally have been told, by male avatars, that I am too skinny and my avatar breast size is too small. They the glamazon with big breasts, wide hips, and large butt; that is considered sexy and lusty to the ones that have commented to me.
I believe we should find the avatar we enjoy being, whether its small, large, weird or different, and strive for good self esteem and self expression (yes even in the digital SL life), rather than being constrained with being too skinny, too center, too fat, or too strange. Labels can be really damaging, but it is in our human nature.
Posted by: Summer Deadlight on September 28th, 2007 at 3:10 amFor me the ideal body in SL is any shape as long as it doesn’t have butt, crotch, nipples on display and isn’t covered in body oil and bling. Sadly such a body is somewhat of a rarity, especially if you go to clubs in SL. Girls you do not need to get your twat out to get attention! When will people learn that, regardless of how sexy your body shape, in terms of covering your privates, less is definitely not more? *le sigh*
Posted by: Georgette Whitfield on September 28th, 2007 at 3:43 amI have to agree with Milla, the porn star figure is far more common than an anorexic one. The maxed-out breast and butt sliders and tiny waist look much too disproportionate to be taken seriously.
I have yet to see a truly anorexic-looking “serious” or non-gag avatar, only avies that might seem on the slender side of the spectrum. (I myself am not very big rl, and have been told frequently to eat more even if I’m at my natural weight, so the word “anorexia” being tossed so carelessly about gets old).
I do think there should be more diversity though. Athletically muscled female avies, petite rather than dwarflike avs, plus-size, etc.
Posted by: Caliah Lyon on September 28th, 2007 at 4:36 amI have recently seen an anorexic avatar and found the image profoundly disturbing because I had a friend who almost died at that degree of thinness. It isn’t attractive, it is unhealthy in real life, why import it here? The sliders are definitely not the issue, but I found myself hoping that the person behind the av isn’t as thin in real life and that her av represents a perverse sense of humor. If anything, sl can suggest a healthier model all the way around . . . not too thin, not obese (the U.S. has a real problem here) and hopefully someday . . . away from the porn star or Barbie doll image.
Posted by: Bronte Alcott on September 28th, 2007 at 5:17 amI have to admit that my avatar is quite skinny, but I sure did not do that to look like skinny rl models. The simple reason is I am quite skinny irl myself, and it is not because of anorexia or any other eating disorder. I eat almost all the time and I eat almost everything, yet I still have 110lbs with my 5 foot 7. I tried gaining weight somehow, but I just can’t it seems. I have heard quite a lot of that “look how skinny she is, she gotta be anorectic”, but I just stopped caring about it.
I did rl modeling for a little while before I quit and it can get quite creepy to see this skinny girl who claims she is a fruitarian. That means she would only eat fruits. Now that is just weird and not right, but people should realise that not all overly thin people have to have eating disorders…
I think that the anorexia problem is not that serious as it used to be. When some cellebrity looks too skinny in some outfit, everyone will make a scandal out of it and say she gotta be anorectic. I think that people do not want to see those overly skinny models anymore.
To me bigger problem lately is how all the adds and stuff try to make us feel like we cannot show our faces to the public if we have a wrinkle or a pimple on it and that cellulite is almost like a deadly illnes. All those stupid adds can make a girl thing she is ugly for absolutely no reason.
Posted by: Yenneffer Dielli on September 28th, 2007 at 5:59 amIn defense of Grace Winnfield’s Face of Grace modeling search, I feel that MANY people misunderstood WHY Grace was seeking a specific THIN shape.
All of Grace’s dresses feature the system skirt, and we know how necessary it is to deflate your booty and hips for the mesh not to balloon around your derriere.
I don’t consider my avatar to be overly thin, and I’m actually pretty darn proud of my hips. Other than the height, my image in SL a very close approximation of my RL shape, and TRUST…me this girl LOVES to eat!
When I became a Face of Grace model, Gracie and I talked about my shape, and other than created a “No Butt” version to wear with the system skirts, everything else stayed.
I just felt the need to comment because I think Gracie is being burned at the stake for something taken out of context.
Posted by: Carissa Crimson on September 28th, 2007 at 7:06 amWhen I made my shape I strove to make it look as much like my rl shape as possible. I’m naturally the porn star body. lol. I hated it for a while but have come to grips with it being me. And honestly I’m glad I didn’t make my sl body thinner…or less curvey. If I had I might not have ever thought about trying some of the styles I do now. he he.
I’ve never liked the overly skinny look, not even when I was model thin. I used to have a killer metabolism and stayed under 115. These days I’m happy to be a good bit over that and have accepted my curves. *They came with childbirth. ^-^*
I think that shock ads only make controversies and tend to actually make people more obstanant about the issue. So instead of someone who’s anorexic seeing it and thinking, I should not look like that, they get mad and say they aren’t doing anything bad and just keep on trucking. But I am glad to see someone saying, we want less rail thin stereotypes and more normal women.
And as for the Grace issue, I can understand wanting models who have no butt since she uses some system skirts. I just wish we could get system skirts that didn’t look like we had quilts layered on top of our butts!
Posted by: Ekio on September 28th, 2007 at 7:25 amMy main avatar looks almost exactly like me, from the skin and shape and size to the lack of butt and chest…
but I also don’t have a skinny waist on my avie, if I put on boy clothes and hair, i’d probably look like a very pretty boy, like I do in RL.
I also had a ‘dancer’ avie for a while, but she even annoyed me with the first shape I had, the second one I bought was still ‘dancer’ quality, but not nearly so ridiculous barbie ideals.
I think that the anorexia imagery in SL does have a tendency to reflect what people think the ideal is…obviously if people are running around wearing teeny tube tops, bootie shorts and showing a lot of skin, they are probably using SL to operate in some fantasy based on their perceptions of reality….
Personally, I love my shape in SL, only because it DOES look so much like me in RL, I really identify with the character (as it’s an extension of a RL project for me anyway) - and I love that I can buy and wear in-world couture without breaking the bank. ;) Can’t do that regardless of size in RL. ;)
Posted by: katrine fredriksson on September 28th, 2007 at 7:38 amI am short and chubby and GAWSH do I love it! :)
Posted by: Ana Boogiewoogie on September 28th, 2007 at 8:09 amI am in the fashion business and run my own company. I used to model, after having borderline anorexia 10 yrs. ago.
Posted by: Christina on September 28th, 2007 at 8:47 amI find it repulsive that companies use these shock-methods to get our attention drawn to their products. No matter how they twist and turn it, that is their goal, otherwise they would not use their name in connection with it. It is the constellation of Ad/Anorexia that disgusts/shocks. Everybody has seen pictures of an anorexic girl before in other surroundings.
Take Benetton for example; if they were so concerned about the world they should take a good look at the chemicals they smear over our bodies through the dye used in their fabrics, instead of making it their goal in life to make us all “aware”.
Wow… it is surely a topic that stirs some people! Thank you for all your comments.
@ Carissa, I don’t think anyone here has been scape goating Grace. I know I haven’t. I just posted 2 opposite examples to illustrate the discussion being alive in SL too. BTW, I never realised Grace asked for extra thin because of the mesh skirt. It’s such a known bug that I just assumed EVERY fashionable person in SL has a mesh skirt shape that is buttless, so why bother to ask for it? Asking for the ability and willingness to adjust your shape to best fit the clothes would be enough in that case. It is something I do all the time.
Having some motorical issues, for me it is way easier to tweak my shape to fit the clothes of my preferred designers, than adjusting prims all the time (ever seen the effect of a spasm on a prim skirt?) :-D
Posted by: Grazia Horwitz on September 28th, 2007 at 9:44 amThe No Anorexia billboards are awesome
and long overdue. Awareness however is
only the first step in the process of
defeating this sickness.
I love the models in my group who have
Posted by: Seraphine on September 28th, 2007 at 10:02 am*not* overly-thin avis. The clothes we
model invariably look better on them.
This couldnt be more topical to somthing i was talking to celeb about a few hours before this post, i will openly admit to very recently having a fair few eating problems surounding anorexia, iv always been very thin in Rl but for some reason iv never been “thin”.
I recently reached a low piont and realised among many other things somthing as simple as finaly get tenshi to make my avi a healthy size could really help, it seems such a trivial move for recovery but think how many times your avi is sat infront of your screen on much you see the in human thin waist?
Eating disorders as a whole get very much catorgrized for instance i persoanly have never watch a catwalk show and thought about being thin im too busy looking at the clothes. But i do agree the industry has a prfound link to the medical condition. Curvy womanly avis should and almost NEED to be the way forward.
marni (forgive my spelling i cant get word to open)
Posted by: Marni Grut on September 28th, 2007 at 11:25 amYou really should meet Rosie! http://modafashionsl.blogspot.com/search/label/plus%20size She is plus sized and proud of it. Her story is amazing.
Licentious
Posted by: Licentious Maladay on September 28th, 2007 at 11:48 amco-CEO MODA Modeling School
Grazia, thanks for bringing this to our attention. Issues like this are really important and its commendable that Pauline Baxter has brought this into SL to raise in-world public awareness. After viewing this post last night I googled and read more about Nolita’s No Anorexia ads. It’s controversial, it’s in your face and it gets people talking about an issue that is swept under the rug and otherwise glamorized. We need more initiatives like this.
If you’re interested in reading beyond this post:
Posted by: Catero Revolution on September 28th, 2007 at 1:42 pm» CTV.ca “Anorexic woman poses naked in ad campaign”
I assume that someone made or wears the shape they do in SL based on what they find attractive and/or like their real selves. We’re free to be…and I agree that diversity is wonderful. Two of the most beautiful avatars I have seen in SL are shapely women.
That said, real anorexia is never beautiful in the “real world.” Deadly anorexia goes beyond “model thin” and the difference is seen if you check Catero’s link above.
At the risk of saying too much about my real self, a campaign calling for “no anorexia” doesn’t help the women (and less frequently, men) who struggle with body image issues and resulting disorders. I don’t believe this campaign was created out of any real desire to raise awareness about anorexia. It looks like shock value advertising.
While a discussion on body image is topical given standards of beauty in many cultures, the ads are confusing to me. Women who suffer from anorexia surely won’t see this and say “OK time to get help” because they don’t see themselves as others see them or worse, they see the very shocking pictures as a goal to get to. That’s the reality with anorexia.
Posted by: Gillian Waldman on September 28th, 2007 at 5:15 pmHey Gillian, another reality is that there are women who manage to kinda recover or control their eating disorder. In my teens I was well on my way to become unhealthyly skinny. And whereas me and food will always have a love-hate relationship, besides being shocked at these images, they also fill me with gratitude, because I have managed NOT to become like this.
Besides, in an interview even the RL model stated that seeing herself on these billboards, made her realise that going on would mean death, imminent death, and she is getting help now because after all, she feels life is worth living.
Posted by: Grazia Horwitz on September 28th, 2007 at 7:18 pmYenneffer Dielli , i don’t get why being a fruitarian would have something to do with an eating desorder. It is an ethical concern about not killing non humans & plants, & for some “health freeks” a question of health.
be well,
Posted by: pelagus on September 28th, 2007 at 11:55 pmpelagus
These are wonderful comments. I wanted to add something no one has mentioned so far — that a significant number of women in SL are the avatars of RL men. Their ideals of female appearance are … important, I suppose, but a different matter than the ways women present themselves in SL.
These guys create an image of their perfect woman, I suppose. And that often involves very large breasts. and the whole porn star look.
That said, I think RL women have a wonderful opportunity in SL to sport the larger breasts they wish they had.
I, for one, like my athletic ballet-dancer-like RL breasts, and it has kind of been a struggle to make my SL breasts that way. Maybe some day Linden will put a new slider in the shape controls — 1=Audrey Hepburn, 99=Sophia Loren!
Posted by: Leda Mondegreen on September 29th, 2007 at 10:16 amAt the risk of saying too much about my real self, a campaign calling for “no anorexia” doesn’t help the women (and less frequently, men) who struggle with body image issues and resulting disorders. I don’t believe this campaign was created out of any real desire to raise awareness about anorexia. It looks like shock value advertising.
I agree.
Honestly, I can’t help but sigh at the misconceptions that are spawned by campaigns such this one (that often take seed in an ill-informed public all too easily swayed to prejudice and snap judgements), misconceptions that do nothing but hurt the same people that these ads are supposed to be helping. It’s obvious I have strong personal feelings on this subject, so I’ll just say that this isn’t a light matter to be thrown in our faces like the daily tabloid. I would much rather see such a campaign done with the right amount of compassion, rather than sensationalising something so serious as this.
Posted by: Caliah Lyon on September 30th, 2007 at 4:17 amI think it’s wonderful to bring awareness to our SL. I personally have a curvy avatar that reflects my RL and couldn’t imagine having to walk around looking stick thin.
Posted by: A on October 1st, 2007 at 11:21 amPersonally, I have an extremely thin avatar, which I know is not in proportion in certain respects such as the neck, but i’m not great with the sliders. I altered my originally custom-purchased shape to make it thin, with no ass and minimal breasts, to at least keep some realism. (with boyish hips, as Celeb once said :P) I had the supermodel image in mind; i know myself that if I see a model on the runway or in a magazine or something that isn’t a size 0-4 (or whatever) I just don’t like it. People will disagree with me, but that’s just how i feel models should look. Particularly with haute couture, I think it takes this sort of “dream-like” quality and design to a new level of oddity/specialness.
I’m going back to my red wine and sun in Portugal now, stay cool people
Posted by: Valena Glushenko on October 1st, 2007 at 1:58 pmI spent a brief time in my youth (several years and many pounds ago) doing professional modeling, and at 6′1″, they still expected me to be under 120 pounds. Uh, no. Even at the young age I was, I had a healthy enough understanding of body-weight (and self-esteem) to refuse to lose weight to the point of sickness, or to the point of extreme loss of self-esteem. I quit modeling, broke a contract, and went on to accept that not everyone should weigh the same “ideal” amount. No way. It only looks ‘ideal’ on some, and very few at that.
Now I’m in my mid 30s, and I much, much prefer a womanly shape, both on myself, and on those whose figures I admire. Selma Hayek, Scarlett Johansen, Lutitia Casta… give me boobs and hips and curves every time. If I want a stick thin model, I’ll slap a dress on a 12 year old boy.
My AV is very tall, but I gave her an athletic figure, with some moderate boobs and curvy hips. It suits what I now consider more of an ‘ideal’ than the super skinny avs that look like they have huge hands and heads.
Regardless of size, I think proportion is the key.
Posted by: Jonquille on October 3rd, 2007 at 2:36 pmI think rather than super skinny avatars, what I have noticed is that there’s a trend in SL for what I call ‘booty’ avatars.
It shocked me at first, since it was counter to my expectations. My husband and I have laughed about it, and wondered if it’s some generation gap thing that I don’t get, being 40.
I see a lot of curves out there. Big thighs, big rear ends. Breasts. Much much more than I see waifs.
Posted by: Natalia Basiat on October 5th, 2007 at 7:34 amI am a SL model, and do have a portfolio of diff body shapes. However, people only want my reg, thin,body shape. I use whatever the photog wants, and skinny is what they want. Fortunately, Sl offers the ability to be versitile, in style and body shape.My avi, has a pretty balanced shape, and i like that. So do the people who want me as their model.
Posted by: Harmonie Shepherd on October 6th, 2007 at 11:42 am(thank you Licentious)
I’m a plus-size avie in SL, and I get lots of mixed reactions. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Usually the good reactions I get are from people who are shaped like me IRL, and they call me things like “brave” and “pioneer” and other things that I think are flattering, but I don’t know how true they are.
Then sometimes I just get random people saying, “Why would you choose to be fat in SL?”
Okay. A lot. I get that a lot.
I’m a recovering bulimic in RL, which had little to do with my choice of avie. I wanted my avie to be an extension of myself. I know and respect and understand that lots of plus-size RL people feel like they have a thin-size person on the inside trying to get out, that idealized, amazing version of themselves, and I treat someone designing a thin avie just like choosing to be a neko, a furry, a faerie, a robot avatar, a tiny, or whatever. For me it’s all about getting to know the person behind the avie anyways.
I have some plus-sized avie friends, but most of my avie friends are what I would call healthy/average shaped, or thin. I get saddened when people base their own self worth on the shape of their avie, and hearing the more pretentious prance around and talk about how they are a “top model” or whatever — the truth is, I could be shaped just like any of them if I wanted to take the time to undo the hard work I’ve done with my sliders to make Rosie who she is.
It’s true that I have to spend a lot more time adjusting clothes or even finding clothes to fit me properly. But it’s worth it, to me. My avie is proportional — I have some belly and some pudge around my middle, my breasts have gravity, I have thunder thighs AND a large waist. I don’t have a porno-star bod or even what many women like to call a “BBW shape” in SL — with a teeny waist and a huge “ghetto booty.” I just am who I am.
I do have to admit though, when I see avies with 7-foot-long legs that are pencil-thin and lanky and very disproportionate, I do wonder if there’s an eating disorder lurking on the other side of the screen. And then I pray there isn’t one. Because I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
Posted by: Rosie Barthelmess on October 8th, 2007 at 7:03 amWell, I think this billboard is a good idea. My avatar is skinny but I have her proportional. I’m naturally thin and I want to have my AV look somewhat similar in terms of body type. I’m not like 6 feet tall though!
Some really great opinions though. :)
Posted by: Anastasia Lusch on October 8th, 2007 at 1:37 pm[...] I’d call a “larger” shape than many female avatars in Second Life. There was a blog post on Fashionista about the “No Anorexia in SL” campaign the other day and it’s been a bit controversial. I wonder if you had a comment about modeling [...]
Posted by: A conversation with Miss Diva Style 2007 at Second Style Fashionista on October 13th, 2007 at 10:08 pm