Lee’s Second Life - “Finding the key”

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I’ve already got my own research to get on with, thank you very much, but if everything goes pear-shaped I can always go back to my first degree background (psychology) and research a new topic: Identity Theory and how it can be shaped, manipulated and extrapolated in the 3D virtual world.

As a way of putting off actually writing — apart from becoming obsessed about washing everyone’s clothes and neatly hanging them up to dry, and discovering the joys of painting as an art form — I have been spending an inordinate amount of time ‘dressing’ the two female avatars associated with Better Communication Results, the in-world representation of my consultancy.

Those whose memory goes back to the early days of my research ponderings will remember that I not only created Lee Laperriere as my ‘alter ego’ in SL, but also Isabella Scheflo and, later, Penny Cazalet, as the buxom brunette and blonde females of the team.

The reasoning behind their creation was simple: attractive females garner more positive attention that attractive males.

But the amount of attention I have personally lavished on them has become a potential fixation and certainly an interesting case study in online gender identity should someone wish to follow it up.

To wit: although I personally hate clothes shopping, I have spent innumerable hours clothes shopping for the girls, purchasing everything from the ‘office/business’ friendly to the outright raunchy. I have dedicated hours to finding just the ‘right’ kind of shoes for them to wear with certain outfits, the right kind of hair, the right body shape.

I have taken lots of photos of them in their various outfits.

Now, all of this smacks of a potentially unhealthy obsession, I agree. But there is more.

I overhead a remark by a colleague the other day, where as a young mother she confessed to loving ‘dressing up’ her daughter. Society would deem that an acceptable behaviour, no doubt, but me playing ‘dress up Barbie’ as less than. But enjoy it I really have.

There’s some fun in shopping for clothes for my male avatar, but not nearly as much fun as shopping for clothes for the girls. Perhaps Richard Gere’s character in ‘Pretty Woman’ is a part of the psychological makeup of a lot of men who, given the opportunity, would mimic his actions.

If Yee is right that around 34% of online ‘players’ change gender, then perhaps I am not alone. I accept that it is certainly unusual, but I wonder how many middle-aged (or otherwise) men would play ‘dress up Barbie’ if given the freedom?

Another point of interest: whilst I have engaged in virtual rumpy-pumpy (a long time ago, when I first entered SL), and purchased a penis in order to participate with an in-world prostitute, 
 
[and as a side note, how can you type your 'expressions' and 'emotions' when you only have one hand with which to type?] I have not bought anything more raunchy than a pole-dancing set for the girls, and certainly don’t intend to have them engage in anything ‘unprofessional’.

Is this the in-world version of the father’s double-standard whereby he nudges his son in the ribs and encourages him to ‘get out there and taste the fruits of the world’ but wants to keep his daughter locked up behind security doors until she’s 30 years old, precisely because he knows ‘what boys and men want’?

Anyway, there it is — part of my autoethnetnographic diary for the world to see. Lucky ol’ you.

Lots more photos over in my flickr SL collection.