SL Etiquette 101: How to Date in Second Life Part 2

Kultivate Marketing and Social Media Coordinator Jessii Warrhol is back with another edition of SL Etiquette 101! This time she continues her series on how to date in Second Life, with a focus on appearance:

Hi everyone! I am back for another dish of SL Etiquette 101! This is a continuation of our How to Date in Second Life series. Part one focused on communication. In this section I will focus on avatar appearance.

In real life we all want to date someone who looks decent and nice and the same is true in Second Life. This does not mean you have to spend a fortune on your avatar, it just means that you need to create your avatar as a reflection of the type of person you would like to date and possibly partner.

While we all love the adage that “looks are in the eyes of the beholder” or “looks are only skin deep” we know that people in both worlds are very appearance conscious. And the adage simply is not true in all cases. Everyone will have their preferences and prejudices about who in their eyes, appears to be worthy enough to date them. We hear the term noob tossed at people who are not wearing mesh or who have not updated their avatars in a long time.

Mesh vs Prims: If you are seeking to date someone in Second Life and they appear to have all mesh clothing and an mesh avatar, then they probably will not be impressed with you if your avatar is still wearing system clothing and you have flexi hair. The new SL avatars are equipped with mesh avatars and aos, so if you are still in system clothing and flexi hair, keep in mind that you are looking more out of date than newbies that are rezzing in Second Life. This does not mean you have to rush out to update it just means that you probably will not attract someone who has moved on from system clothing and flexi hair. Similarly you may find someone who is still clinging to flexi hair and system clothing and you two could be happy. But do not get upset if a person who loves mesh dismisses you quickly if your avatar is deemed not up to date.

Human Avatar vs Non Human Avatars: I have many furry and non human avatar friends in Second Life. I think its great that in Second Life you can be anything. However I have had some of these friends heavily discuss discrimination they face in Second Life. Yes there are people who are anti non human avatars. There are even places that ban non human avatars. But there are also places that welcome such avatars with open arms. So do not get offended if someone tells you that they are not into non humans for dating in Second Life, after all why should you date someone who hates your choice of avatar? But there are humans who love non human avatars for dating and vice versa.

In conclusion you should strive to not only look your best in Second Life, but find someone who likes you for you and wants to be with you for you. Remember to not to get so offended if you do not meet a person’s criteria for a future potential partner, after all why would you want to date someone who does not like how you look?

For part 3 of our How to Date in Second Life series, I will focus on where to go on a date in Second Life. Until next time!

Jessi