Virtual Fashion Show of Black Avatars Provokes Controversy

Last month, SL fashion magazine Avenue sponsored "Ebony", a runway show dedicated to black fashionistas, most whom are also black in real life, and it's provoked a minor drama among SL fashionistas, which in turn exposed a deeper unease with real world racial politics. Some like Gattina Dumpling of Shopping Cart Disco, complained about the show's lack of ethnic diversity: "In this day in age," she wrote, "shouldn’t we sort of be celebrating how alike we are rather than how different we are?" Which provoked others like Cajsa Lilliehook to complain about the lack of avatar ethnic diversity in SL at large. "It's sad that every single time African-Americas try to claim some territory, whites get so threatened that their dominance will be somewhat diminished that they have to raise their concerns and complain about blacks excluding them," she wrote. To further complicate things, it's apparently still difficult to find realistic black/Latino avatar skins, which means fashion shows like this provide a valuable service for Residents who want them. But because human avatars in SL are overwhelmingly white, a show solely comprised of non-white avatars is bound to be conspicuous. The question is, will the ethnicity of avatars in all SL fashion shows eventually become more diverse? Especially since it's possible to change one's virtual race with a few clicks?

Hat tip: Isadora Fiddlesticks, who has some pertinent if acidic thoughts.

Comments

[Adric Antfarm]

This dangerous turf bra....you gonna get beef

I will say what I tried to say there but was likely unable to due their suck comment system and my paranoid Firfox plugins.

The story ran "Not Gonna Spend My Life Being a Color" as a tag line then proceeded to highlight a show that in fact highlighted a color.

I want the grid to be a place where it doesn't matter if I am furry or human, gay or straight, or whatever. This does not do that.

The fan it highlighted stereotypes (at least in the images I have seen) makes it a sad event to me.

[Dale Innis]

I don't think having a big comment thread on Shopping Cart Disco counts as "provoking controversy"; that place is Drama Central. :)

I don't see any reason to get upset about it; there are all sorts of fashion shows on the grid, why not have one for people wearing comparatively dark skins? And maybe even (don't know if they did at this show or not) celebrating cultural and fashion traditions of RL people in places where people have dark skin.

The more the merrier!

[Miro Collas]

Yes it is hard to find *quality* black/latino skins - especially male skins. In your post from January, a few people mention Abyss, but none of the Abyss skins are black - they are way too pale, IMHO.

Sure, there are some options out there, but if you want quality (ie, no seams, natural looking contrast, pectoral lines that actually match the SL avatar, etc) then you end up with almost zero black skins for men - and few for women. A few more if you want "pale black/latino".

[Miro Collas]

Btw, personally, I have nothing against a fashion show featuring all-black avatars. Far too many are all-white.

[Gattina Dumpling]

What I found most disturbing about all of this is that people actually do not know how to read. 90% of what I posted in my article was written by the CEO of Avenue models, who I felt gave an articulate, intelligent interview, the rest was me asking for people's opinions. I did state that " I do wish more SL magazines and fashion shows showcased a bit more diversity, but SL is a place where anyone can be any colour, species, nationality, gender they choose. And in this day in age, shouldn’t we sort of be celebrating how alike we are rather than how different we are." And I believe this. Fashions shows on SL SHOULD have more diverse models (I have yet to see a fashion show with furries in it, what up with that?!)

But at the end of the day, me even asking for people's opinions has people upset.

[melissah]

Just making things even can sometime stir up some ****

[Arcadia Codesmith]

If the show had highlighted the wonderful world of Scottish fashion... would we be having this discussion? I think not.

[GoSpeed Racer]

It really gets old hearing "black skins" are so hard to find. I've been wearing a dark skin for the past 2-2/3 years and the available choices have expanded incredibly. As previously mentioned it's a matter of market demand. Over time there has been an increased demand for the skins and skin creators have stepped up to meet that demand. You could argue that quality is lagging behind, especially with male skins, but I think parity will be reached eventually. If you want to see more dark skins, buy them!!! I wouldn't be surprised if a significant number of dark skin customers are white/asian in RL (like myself) and they want to be different in SL. Or maybe they just like the look.
Personally I love my LAQ skin :) .

[Fogwoman Gray]

This sort of thing is why I made a conscious decision in entering second life 3 years ago to have a blue skin :)

[Yak Wise]

White people getting upset about a Black fashion show

is just as ridiculous as

Males who would get get upset about a Female fashion show

Sad that these attitudes are still so much alive in 'The Land of the Free.

[Suzanne/SL Aurili Oh]

The issue of race in SL doesn't exist in a vacuum. Race and racism in the United States is real issue and it does not "go away" all because you're in SL, just like sexism and misogyny are alive and well in SL too.

Most White Americans have a difficult time with the fact that they are probably racist. That's how racism works, btw. You don't see that yours is the dominant viewpoint, in other words you don't see your Whiteness, as one of the commenters alluded to.

If you don't know what I'm talking about or you're insulted, check out this blog, Stuff white people do. It's written by a White guy, btw. http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/

Do we have any demographic data of SL users' self-identified race/ethnicity? I'd assume that that Residents are disproportionately white, compared to the diversity in the US population.
The reason I'd assume this is because the poor and working-poor, disproportionately people of color in the US, don't have time nor the resources generally to have second lives.

Food for thought...

[Kittenanne Mousehold]

Yak Wise summed it.

This is just ridiculous.

If there is such a controversy going on...could it be just a troll comment?

[coco]

reading!?
Who ever said blogs were about "reading". Theyre about writing back and forth!

[Isadora Fiddlesticks]

Oh thanks for the mention, Hamlet, does your use of the word acidic also mean "acerbic"?

Going to the comments on that post, I really thought Casja's comment was very much spot on.

[CyFishy Traveler]

What is it about 2009 being The Year of White People Getting Upset When They Find Out It's Not All About Them?

Another link worth reading that applies to a lot of similar situations:

http://blog.shrub.com/archives/tekanji/2006-03-08_146

[Tymmerie Thorne]

I cannot help myself from pointing out a pet peeve: Hispanic/Latino is NOT a race. A Hispanic person can be of any race. For example, I have a colleague who is Asian and Hispanic. I am Hispanic and I am Caucasian.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

[ColeMarie Soleil]

Hahahahahahah
I LOVE YOU GATTINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You go on with your overly honest self :D
I haz your back

Hi5 Hamlet for touching on something most people do not have an outside view on.

Everyone gets so touchy about race.
When will people learn.

PEOPLE ARE JUST PEOPLE... PEOPLE!

WAKE UP!

*smacks you all fiercely in a row*

pft

Grow up.

[Oscar Page]

I've been a tan to deep tan man most of my SLife and that's coming up on 4 years. Yes, I'm a white dude irl, but when I first started SL I had big ol' slider hair afro (b/c prim male hair barely even existed). Like GoSpeed Racer, I've watched the selection for darker skins grow exponentially over my time in SL. As I look back on the first skin I ever bought (from Munchflower), it was SUPER orange and unrealistic in comparison the fantastically textured Tan/Dark Tan Miguel skin from Belleza that I wear today. It has come a long way since I first started in SL as have a lot of items.

Sadly, I missed this fashion show because I was at a menswear fashion show (where my favorite suit of the whole event was worn by an afam guy named Donald) and didn't get to see my friend Angie trip over her heels on the Ebony runway. ;-)

Oh and whoever said that The Abyss skins aren't very dark at all must not have tried on Orion: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3407/3265332151_48fe006aae_b.jpg

[radar]

I can't see how anyone could be upset if there was a fashion show in SL that was all black avatars, especially if the people behind them in RL are black (meaning, they REALLY understand what it is to be black).

SL is so full of white and asian skins that there's no way that other minorities are properly represented. For sure it's not like where I live or work. Definitely not like where I work. It's sad that I don't see any avatars that make me say, "hey, someone from India, or Pakistan!". And it's sad that I hardly ever see any black avatars. The one time I did, I remember hearing the person having a verbal argument in which both sides immediately went to the race issue.

I think race IS an issue in SL, just like there's no avatars that look like they eat at McDonalds every day. SL is pretend time, fairytale land, home of the multiple alts with multiple denials. All beautiful, all the time... and almost all white or asian. Others need not apply. Contents may have settled during shipping. Must be 7 feet tall to ride.

[ColeMarie Soleil]

Radar...
the statement about plus sized avatars is ignorant... please see flickr stream:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/slbbw/

BBW and Realistic Avs of SL
1861 photos and counting :)

Most people just don't know because they're too busy hunting bags of bones for their fashion ads.

I know plenty of curvy avatars.
I am one myself :)

thank you very much!

"I like ice cream and I don't care if it shows up on my hips"

- Tori Amos

[Doreen Garrigus]

Hmmm....I'm not particularly concerned with what color the avatars on the runway are, most of the time, but I have noticed that there isn't much in the way of good black skins (or black-textured hair) available. I can only think of a handful of designers doing it well. If this show highlighted the best of what's out there, then it did what it should be doing.

[Gahum Riptide]

As far as having a show with black models, why not? Why would anyone get upset over that? Also, it's a wondefully idealistic thing to say that we're all the same, however, humans will always look for differences. Why not recognize that no we AREN'T the same, but realize that it's an awesome thing that we are all different. I'm not going to deny my heritage to make some idealist happy so they can live in a world where people don't "see color".

As for skins, actually, I find that it's difficult finding an Asian skin for men that doesn't look like some sort of stereotyped Chinese look, or are a rather anime-ish Japanese skin. I'm not saying there aren't any out there, I'm just saying that it's not an easy task. Although I did find the Miguel skin by Belleza was easily tweaked to look Asian, in a way.

Anyway, my own av is styled to look like a bit of a mutt just as I am myself in RL. Not exactly Asian, not exactly European, but somewhere in the middle.

[Miro Collas]

Oscar: Oh and whoever said that The Abyss skins aren't very dark at all must not have tried on Orion: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3407/3265332151_48fe006aae_b.jpg

I have tried that - have it. I fact, I have 30+ skins from many makers. Orion isn't black by any stretch of the imagination. The red/orange lighting in that pic makes it seem so.

[Designer Lingerie]

I totally agree with Doreen Garrigus's word. I really impressed with your writing style. And I really appreciate this post. Thanks a bunch for sharing such an innovative post with us. Keep blogging.

[Connie Sec]

All this "Drama" is just another example of SL shoegazing. Just get on with it .. be what you wanna be and act like a grownup.