Virtual Dress Auctioned To Benefit American Cancer Society Sells For USD$1,700

An evening gown that could never exist outside the virtual world has been sold to fight a disease that's all too real:  metaverse artist Eshi Otawara donated her spectacular, gravity-defying fishook dress for an auction that's part of Relay for Life in SL, a community-run campaign sanctioned by the American Cancer Society.  After fierce competition, two Second Life models, Kay Fairey and Clarabelle Cazalet, combined their bids and put up L$460,000-- roughly $1700 on the open market.  This isn't the very largest virtual item purchase (to my knowledge, that was for a pink muscle car which went for L$600K to benefit SLRFL 2006), but of course, it's still substantial.  Bettina Tizzy of NPIRL has the story behind the purchase.

The supreme irony, of course: though she's helped the American Cancer Society tremendously, Eshi is still fighting a law that threatens to deport her from America.  Read the latest news about her struggle here.

Comments

[Gigs]

It is unfortunate that people donate money to this organization, thinking that it will go to find cures for cancer. In reality, it goes toward partisan political lobbying, such as lobbying for bans on smoking.

[JueL]

The Comment : It is unfortunate that people donate money to this organization, thinking that it will go to find cures for cancer. In reality, it goes toward partisan political lobbying, such as lobbying for bans on smoking.

Where is the proof of this? I'de be interested in seeing this.

[Jade Lily]

@Gigs: That is not accurate. Lobbying would violate the American Cancer Society's nonprofit status. They have an entirely separate organization for this, called ACS CAN (Cancer Action Network: acscan.org). No money raised at any Relay For Life, including the SL Relay, goes to this organization. Relay money goes to cancer research and patient programs.