Ophelia's Gaze: 2008's Top Ten Hottest Avatar Guys-- My First Five

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

Last year I found myself knee-deep in gorgeous male avatars, trying to establish my Top 10 Hottest Male Avatars of ‘07. This year, I found myself drowning in deserving nominees. The response to the call for nominations and votes was tremendous, but in a way not entirely surprising. Designs for males have become a stronger market in Second Life within the past two years than they were before. The market of men interested in maintaining an appearance has grown to a point that the market can survive, and in return the abundance of male options encourages more male avatars to get engages in the aesthetics of their avs.

While this list started as a way to prove that there were attractive male avatars out there in abundance, it’s been necessary to refine the criteria beyond physical appearance. This is a world where attractiveness can be bought, so it’s important to consider other qualities. Talents, hobbies, personality, and style all figure into the equation for hotness, as well as their appearance. This year, my list will be delivered in two parts, followed by the People’s Hottest picks. Keep reading for the first 5 of my Top 10 Hottest Male Avatars of ‘08.

I could never put these guys in order of hotness, so in shuffling them like a very attractive deck of cards, Bone Mosten came up on top. Speaking strictly of Bone’s avatar for a moment. I found it refreshingly modern, without falling into the grunge trap that so many male avatars do. From his faded koi tattoo sleeves, to his ear spacers, to his thick Buddy Holly glasses, Bone is not the kind of male avatar you will necessarily run into at every turn. On the personal side, he describes himself as “not the good kind of nerd”, though anyone who takes a look at his humourous and explorative blog will disagree. The deeper you look at Bone, the hotter he gets!

I wish every male av in SL had a little bit of Monta Horan’s spirit in them. Monta is a master of mixing and matching, and his versatility with his avatar could put many fashionistas to shame. He jolts from psychedelic to city chic without missing a beat, and he’s got a great eye for colours. It’s no wonder then that he’s a popular male model in SL, and at the same time is shouldn’t be surprising that Monta is also Japanese. I find that time and time again, fashion in the Japanese community raises the bar for all other communities, in uniqueness and in diversity of elements. If you think you know every store in SL, I’m sure Monta could prove you wrong.

Prad Prathivi is one of the most nominated hot male avs to date, and with very good reason. While I found his avatar to be rather sombre, under the brim of that fedora are finely masculine features, a shape that conveys a lot of character, and which overall is quite honest to his real life self, a dashing 20-something man of Indian descent. Of course, Prad also has an impressive resumé. An accomplished builder and landscaper under the brand Amodica, he’s just as talented with snapshot artistry in his Flickr stream, and as if that’s not enough, he also runs the impressive and thought-provoking blog, Metaversally Speaking, which is an absolute must-read.

Next is James Schwarz, the dream-date of skinny-jean-wearing hipster girls the world around. You may know James from his pet projects, including the completed 100 Avatars picture, to the in-progress Headshot Series (which I encourage everyone to volunteer for, if the deluge doesn’t kill him!). James has a great eye and appreciation  for the aesthetic side of SL, and it would be impossible for that to not translate over to his avatar. Talent is talent, and chic is chic!

Our last name in part 1 is Raul Crimson. Last year, I deeply regretted not choosing Raul for the list. He is more than deserving of a spot-- let’s face it, he has the “Tall, dark, and handsome” market cornered, and to a degree the “Latin Lover” market as well. Furthermore, he’s one of the few avatars that I’ve ever seen that can pull off a muscular look without looking a caricature. But then... you see the giant fluffy bunny, the beachball, and the pop art in his skybox, and you wonder if perhaps there isn’t a little (or a lot) more to the brooding Mr. Crimson. Raul is one of Second Life’s most accomplished and widely known photographers, and his works is know for being remarkably powerful, and his Flickr site is well worth seeing (albeit not always 100% SFW).

That's my first five.  Who else are in my top ten?  Watch this space next week!

Iris Ophelia has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Comments

[Bibe Mayo]

Wow! What a good choice! I can't believe I've met a few of these guys... And my dear darling Pradley made the list! Awwww I'll buy him a cookie later! Good job Iris, if you need anymore help please let me know!
~Bibe

[silverdrake sparrow]

Congratulations to the winners! I notice some scarf action - is it the trend for '09, or will it cede that honor to sparkly sunglasses?

[Sarah M]

Such sexy guys... meow! And definately a cookie for Praddles! yay!

[Ganymedes Costagravas]

WTG you guys!
And nice to see Rawlly and Praddles!

[Winter Jefferson]

It would have been a travesty had Raul and Prad not been included. Congrats to the hotties - you represent SL well to the outside world.

[Alicia Chenaux]

GO BONE!!!

[Doreen Garrigus]

I _want_ Raul's scarf! Who made that lovely asymmetrical sculpted thing?

[Lauryn Arado]

Oh yeah James is a hottie ;)

[CrotBeartenna]

hey!
I made with photoshop animated myspace pics.
have a look at them:
http://tinyurl.com/5pde2x
Thank you for your website ;-) xoxo

[Christophe Hugo]

Sorry so called "hotties", but here's the cruel truth: when it comes to being a hunk, Shirtless Obama is second to none:

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4290/shirtlessobamayy6.jpg

[Chenin Anabuki]

I agree. Bone Mosten has a very refreshing look. In SL, it is not enough to look good...you also need to have an atypical appearance. Otherwise, you will be forgettable like most.

[Princess Ivory]

Four out of five men are wearing glasses of some sort. Are they about to start a new SL fashion trend? Gentlemen, head for the stores and buy yourself some glasses, and get ready to fend off the onslaught of adoring women.

Whatever happened to Dorothy Parker's famous phrase, "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses?" Guess it's different for guys!

Looking forward to seeing if the trend continues with the next five men!

Princess Ivory

[Travis Stark]

This is a 'Hot' top ten list.
You can make your own on my buddy's site http://www.toptentopten.com/

[Sehra Kauffman]

Yep, Bone is pretty full of awesome!