Sexy Scarface: The Story Behind "Broken Hearts Bleed", the Latest in Stylishly Brutalized Female Avatar Skins

Mochi Milena in her Broken Hearts skin, and in real life

Have a look at the latest in customized Second Life skins: Broken Hearts Bleed, which depicts a woman with a bloody heart carved into her face. [SLurl to buy it here] Created by Mochi Milena, it's the latest example of what might be called "brutalized avatar chic", which subverts Second Life's popular fashionista scene with style that suggests abuse, even torture. (Iris Ophelia covered last year's big fashion craze for bruised female avatar skins.)

As you might expect, it's provoked some controversy among SL fashionistas. After all, you look at a woman with a heart gashed into her face, and you wonder how it got there, maybe imagining a man hovering over her with a razor.

However, Mochi tells me her motive for making it had nothing to do with that. The popular SL designer created it for a Second Life fashion contest, which asked for submissions that expressed "What I love". Mochi decided to enhance one of her skins with a heart, and at first, the design was sentimental.

"I started drawing a normal heart on the skin, but it felt... very tacky," she tells me. "I sat there for awhile and then experimented with different effects until I decided to do a cut heart on the face." 

For her, much of the inspiration was artistic:

Fashionista supreme Gorgeous Yongho models Broken Hearts Bleed

"I guess I drew the idea from many of my favorite artists including Mark Ryden, Audrey Kawasaki, Lori Earley. The mix of innocence and creepiness."

More than that, she meant it as a metaphorical expression of how she feels right now. "I've been experiencing some problems lately in real life," she says, "but I try to pretend that nothing is wrong, by keeping a smile on my face. I guess the heart skin supposedly is expressing how hurtful the things I've experienced lately are, appearing in physical form on the face..." So while it's a tribute to artists she admires, it's more of a personal expression, turning her avatar into a metaphor for how she feels right now.

That said, Mochi Milena acknowledges the stir her sexy scarface started:

"Some people took the heart out of context which made me very sad," she tells me. "It was never really my intention to promote any sort of real life violence against women or promote cutting. I knew it wasn't going to be fit for everyone's tastes when I set it up." However, for her, "It's more metaphorical in my mind and not [depicting] actual cutting." In any case, Mochi adds, "People are welcome to their interpretations." And one wonders what other metaphors could be expressed by deforming a Second Life avatar -- and how others will react, when they see it.

Mixed reality photo courtesy Ms. Milena

Comments

[Ann Otoole InSL]

LL really needs to explain that intolerance part of the community standards better.

And then enforce it.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

No issues with artistic expression. But "sexy"? Sooooo NOT sexy. Unless, you know, applying direct pressure and calling 911 on behalf of a friend is your idea of a hot date.

[Silverfox Rainbow]

i like seeing uniqueness in avis, each to their own as everyone has their own way they want to look. but in regard to the bruised skins or in this case a bleeding heart, yes i agree that shows how a person feels, but at the same time it makes me feel a bit queasy.
so i agree with Aradia all for the artistic expession that is good, you wouldnt be going out on a date if you where bleeding from your face irl you'd be heading to the hospital.
it all comes down to personal taste i guess.

[Hitomi Tiponi]

It is challenging, provocative and above all done with passion and imagination - like a lot of good art.

[brinda allen]

Absolutely wrong!

OK...I *get it*, the creator is persuing her artistic senses (blegh). But just because something is seen as art doesn't mean it's acceptable to glorify female abuse...even if that protrayed abuse is self inflicted.
These skins are not only distasteful they perpetuate emotional behavior that women have spent uncounted generations fighting. My guess is that the apparent youth of the creator and perhaps her social status has protected her from abusive behavior thus far in her life.

[Crystal]

And why does this make news? If she wants a goddarn heart, let her be. Geez.

You're all assuming that she is being abused in rl because the heart looks carved. Way2jump2conclusions. Why don't you ask the person directly if you're so concerned.

[Silverfox Rainbow]

have very mixed emotions about this, its being artistic, but at the same time it sends across different messages. the bruised skins especially. as someone was who bullied alot during my school years. i don't seeing anything 'sexy' about these skins, artistic-yes but not sexy.

[misnomer]

As someone who experimented with cuts on avatar skin early on, I support this artistic expression. I understand how fully exploring the medium can also evoke great emotional reaction.

What is art if it doesn't make you feel anything?

At the same time, I appreciate how in time, one can see their avatar as themselves and feel as though such an expression is the same or similar to harming a human.

I think rather than judging the artist and calling for LL to enforce "intolerance" we should look at ourselves and the medium and really take a moment to appreciate the gift that Second Life can be.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

"Artists" do indeed have the right to express themselves. And we mere mortals have an equal right to interpret what they express, and vocalize our dismay and opposition when it communicates something that we feel is wrong or even harmful. And THAT right is as much a part of what constitutes "tolerance" in a civil society as is the right of the artist to create art.

The issue here, I'd like to remind people, is not whether anyone has *actually* been harmed in RL. The real issue is how turning the signs of physical abuse into fashion accessories normalizes, trivializes, and even glamorizes REAL violence. If cuts and bruises become "chic" add-ons for a night out on the town, what does this say about our attitudes towards the very real abuse in RL that these injuries *actually* point to?

Let's take one second to analyze this skin, shall we? A "bleeding" heart is a very old iconic representation of loss, or of sacrifice: in much Roman Catholic iconography, the Virgin Mary is depicted with a bleeding heart.

But this *isn't* merely a bleeding heart, is it? It is one that has been literally carved into the skin. So the violence here isn't merely emotional or metaphorical: it is represented as literal. Someone, it is being suggested, has taken a knife to this face. What is more, this kind of carving is like branding: it is a sign of ownership, literally written on to the body in blood, and expressed through pain and violence. It's just the kind of mark of ownership one might expect an abusive partner to make.

In terms of gore, there are vastly worse skins out there in this regard. Even Gala Phoenix's "Battle Royale" skins, which are probably toward the mild end of the spectrum, are "worse." But I am really and truly dismayed by the way that this abuse chic is becoming trendy in SL.

I have no idea what Mochi "intended" to produce here in the way of meaning. I am happy to extend to her the benefit of the doubt, and assume that she didn't think this one through very clearly. But what she has produced here is, in its own way, as graphic and disturbing a symbol of an abusive and violent relationship as anything I have seen in Second Life.

[brinda allen]

@Crystal.

"You're all assuming that she is being abused in rl because the heart looks carved. Way2jump2conclusions. Why don't you ask the person directly if you're so concerned."

Not at all jumping to conclusions...
Not all people are created emotionaly equal and there are those that will/would see this "art" and see it as tacit approval of abuse.
Women have come to far to sit silent.

Personally I don't believe this creator was abused by herself or others.

[Silverfox Rainbow]

never thought that at all, the creator said in the interview herself she was going thru a hard time, sometimes you have to find different ways to express yourself.

[Fogwoman Gray]

"Stylishly Brutalized"??!!
WTF?
On what planet is this "art"?
My issue is less that people in SL are going to make offensive content - that is the nature of the beast. My problem is when we slap lipstick on it and call it art, and blogs like this one post headlines like "stylishly brutalized".
Brutality is NOT "stylish" you ass.

Period.

[ZB]

Always answer is very simple.
"if you don't like that, don't buy that"

[Bock McMillan]

Signs of abuse in a womans face can only be sexy to an abuser, a wifebeater or a sadistic torturer.

Claiming that such signs of abuse are "artistic" in any way whatsoever is a total perversion of the concept of art.

Could you imagine anyone trying to sell a male skin with a heart carved into the face?

[Silverfox Rainbow]

there well be people in sl who well see this as 'sexy' chic or however they call it? i have seen alot of avis in sl who go to extremes to be unique looking, to the point where sometimes, where it does cause a phyical reaction.
bleeding from the mouth, chewing on metal or skins that go over mature in some cases. not everyones cup of tea, the concept that an avi sort of embodies your real life self sometimes makes me wonder.
But as an artist myself, i can understand why she did this, to express herself to bring a certain mood across, its a way of getting ones mood out - in this case, it was an sl skin.

[Rin Tae]

Art would not be art if it would not cause strong reactions and don't make people think about what they see or experince. Be it admiration or the thought that what they see is ugly or distubring.

My own reaction was one of a very powerful emotional picture. Something done by a artist wanting to express their feelings and she has said that it is a representation of her emotional state in the time she made it. It is not unusual for artists to create similar pictures when in need to express something. It is often the way to deal with it and I see it in my own work very often too.

I see loss in it. Emotional pain and strengh to hang on and fight back despite all odds standing in the way. But this is just my view of it. However it is the interpretation of this skin presented in this context. It would look different in any other place and I know that I could not wear it because it represents too much and because by taking it out of its context I would destroy the very interpretation of it I have (besides I admit to not liking scars).

It can however stir up some controversy if it is used in different kind of settings for different purposes because when someone want to use it to represent violence agaisnt women they for sure will and they will go very far to do it as ugly as possible.

But this skin is different for me. It is too emotional for me to see it in any different way then I have described above. Maybe because I too use my art to express myself amd the feelings in me.

The controversy here is I think not so much in the skin but in the words used in the title of this blog post:

"Sexy Scarface: The Story Behind "Broken Hearts Bleed", the Latest in Stylishly Brutalized Female Avatar Skins"

I said that I like this skin and the way it is presented for the emotional expression in it but the use of words like 'sexy scarface' and 'stylishly brutalized' are doing more then just rising my eyebrows in a very much questioning expression. So it is not the skin here that sparks up any second thoughts but the title of the blog post and that has nothing to do with the artist.

P.S.
All power to the subversion of the usual all beutifull, perfectly looking fashionista look being pushed into every corner of thie virtual world as the definition of 'normal'. Let your imagination fly and believe me that it feels great when you enter a sim and actually look unique and different.

[Fogwoman Gray]

Let's talk about subverting the fashionista look and letting your imagination fly.
The grid is packed full of amazing creators making stunning skins, hair, avatars that are expressive and stunning - unique too. And don't need to slap on a blood splash or a big cut or bruise to do it.
Amazing avs that are furry, tiny, mechanical, all manner of amazing non-bipedal avatars, an endless parade of self expression.
And yet I see no lengthy blog posts trumpeting them as "art", the creators do not get the publicity here that seems to be guaranteed if they simply gave the avs frail bodies and a bunch of cuts and bruises.
Want to express your inner turmoil? Go nuts.
But how about some equal face time for all the other artists who aren't taking the easy route to publicity?

[Scylla Rhiadra]

@ Rin

"I see loss in it. Emotional pain and strengh to hang on and fight back despite all odds standing in the way."

That's funny. What I see is a woman who has been cut with a razor or knife. Can you elaborate on where you see the "strength" and willingness to "fight back"? Or do you mean in the guns in the second set of pics, which are an inessential add-on to the original skin?

"I said that I like this skin and the way it is presented for the emotional expression in it but the use of words like 'sexy scarface' and 'stylishly brutalized' are doing more then just rising my eyebrows in a very much questioning expression. So it is not the skin here that sparks up any second thoughts but the title of the blog post and that has nothing to do with the artist."

The title of the blog post pretty accurately reflects what is literally represented here: a woman who is bleeding after having been cut with a knife. I don't agree with the way that Iris has characterized previous skins of this sort, but she's right on here. The words "scar," "bleed," and "Brutalized" pretty accurately describe this. I'm sure that there is an emotional impact here as well, but it exists in the context of the physical brutality that is actually being rendered in this skin.

"All power to the subversion of the usual all beutifull, perfectly looking fashionista look being pushed into every corner of thie virtual world as the definition of 'normal'."

Well, you won't find me arguing in favour of SL's own special version of the female "beauty myth." And I agree, art should be subversive. And were this contextualized as "art," as a metaphorically expression of the artist's emotional state, or as a political observation about violence in society, or what-have-you, I might be willing to agree that this is the case here. It is not: this is being presented, marketed, and sold as a fashion accessory.

Artists have a responsibility to question our dearly-held values. But they are also themselves responsible for what they say.

There is nothing "concocted" about this controversy: Mochi is merely being asked to account for what she has herself created.

[Samantha Poindexter]

It's not my personal cuppa tea, but is it art? Obviously. Is it worth getting your knickers in a twist over? Of course not.

Crumpets, anyone?

[Pixa]

Would any of you lovely emancipated Ladies like to take an interpretation on this:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4861162473_4f944216f5_b.jpg ? :3

[Lanie Windlow]

It's obvious that most of you didn't read the article thoroughly if you think it's about "abuse" originality is hard to come back in second life and mochi mentioned she loves gore, horror, and love.
So what do you think she did for the project? what she loved as the theme stated.
I find it really stupid that people think she's putting out a skin to show abuse...that is NOT the case. it's what SHE loves and honestly i bought it and haven't taken it off due to the fact i ADORE the bloody heart.
It's not for some people but for those who have no problem go ahead and flaunt it :)!

[Scylla Rhiadra]

I agree: it is "stupid" to think Mochi made this skin to show abuse. But it is, unfortunately, a measure of her naiveté that she might imagine that a skin featuring a woman with a bleeding heart literally carved into her face wouldn't be read that way.

Or perhaps you'd prefer to believe that it's just a very violent hickey?

Mochi tells us that "Some people took the heart out of context which made me very sad ... It was never really my intention to promote any sort of real life violence against women or promote cutting."

What makes ME very sad is that anyone would think that a representation of a woman who, by Mochi's own admission, has been cut, is chic, cool, or fashionable.

As Henry James once put it, believe the tale, not the teller. What Mochi "intended" is largely irrelevant: what she has produced, and the context in which she has chosen to present it, tell their own tale.

[Ann Otoole InSL]

People who do cutting irl either do it themselves or have a tattoo scarification artist (safer) do it to make a scarification tattoo. There is no "Someone is brutalizing women" here. And the various "different" type skins are available for men. Why aren't these rabid feminists sticking up for all the poor abused men of SL? Why are these "women" not screeching about scarification tattoos in real life. Why do these "women" not know anything about tattooing at all? If you search for scarification you may notice a lot of the images appear to be of women (who generally can take pain better than wimpy men anyway).

[Scylla Rhiadra]

This is not a scar, or a tattoo. It is a fresh, bleeding wound. Please take a closer look at the pictures.

With regard to "Abuse Chic" and men, you might want to take a quick look at this:

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2010/07/fight-club-fashion-in-second-life.html

We "rabid feminists" can find all sorts of things to "screech" about, including representations of violence against men.

[Lanie Windlow]

She never intended for it to be "bloody chic" the Arthur said it was.
It's funny everyone is getting their panties in a wedgie over this skin just like they did with the curio fight club skins.
It'll dye down and people won't care after a while. just let it go...she meant for it to be what she loved..i'm sure she knew it'd cause a stir but it's her being a skin artist and i doubt she thought it'd get this bad.
Real life is different from second life, true emotions are mixed and true there is a blurred line but really...it's a SKIN..whom mochi worked hard on..
People are over thinking and taking it out of context...

[brinda allen]

OK..let's shift way way over. Now I know this will start a great yowl...as in no comparison, but...

Nazi swasticas are illegal in Secondlife as well as present day Germany. Why? Anyone?...

Because there are those that really don't understand the power that emblem potentialy incites.

Have a man beat your ass badly enough to need emergency services and you will understand that it's not art or passion or????....glorifying such inappropriate "art" is wrong...is it legal..sure. Is it "art", maybe.
That doesn't make it right.

[Pixa]

Did you people ever walk into a bdsm sim? No? I say we make a huge feminist meeting in one and we draw lulzy signs in PS and wave them around and yell out against abuse!
Who gives a shit if the people doing and creating that stuff are into it, who cares if we hurt peoples feelings because we feel the parental need to protect other SL users, who don't care about the bullshit that comes out of our minds -without being personally affected!

No seriously, get those sticks out of your tushies and move on. I love the skin. :3

[Bunny Brickworks]

Awesome skin, I got it today.

Get over yourselves, ladies. 'Your world, your imagination' also means 'my world, my choice of skins'!

[EatThe Bearsfoot]

"Hi I paint cuts onto the skins I create to show how much I love and approve of physical abuse!"

If that's honestly the point of view you have on the "controversy" about this skin, then you need to find your giant, self-righteous head and pull it out of your ass. So it's provocative art.

The Gun Sculpture cube that was presented for the Academic Council of the United Nations was provocative too. The other half of its exhibit was censored by the UN. It was made up of photos of victims of gun violence.

Basically, good art is provocative. If it really draws attention to physical abuse for you, and you REALLY feel that strongly about it, then honestly go do something about it instead of crying over a Second Life skin. Join or start some kind of movement and speak out against it instead of slamming the artist for making you aware of the issue it's brought to your personal attention. :)

[Nine Warrhol]

I whole heartedly agree with Pixa and Bunny above.The skin is pretty.

When I see the skin, I don't think physical abuse. I skimmed the mile long responses, sorry but tl;dr yikes. Condense condense condense :p

I think the skin is very artistic and if anyone would think it's ok to abuse women seeing that, they are a bonehead anyway, ya know?

[Scylla Rhiadra]

If this "art" is intended to be provocative, then I guess we should all be glad that it has, indeed, "provoked," should we not? Being "provocative" entails generating thought and discussion: surely that is what we are engaged in here?

And, if I may say so, "EatThe" ... you don't have the foggiest idea of how I or others who object to this skin express our concerns about this kind of thing in RL. I might also add that SL does not exist in a sort of hermetically-sealed vacuum: it is *part* of RL, just as anything on the internet is.

As for joining or starting "some kind of movement" ... Gosh! What a great idea. Wish I'd thought of it ...

[EatThe Bearsfoot]

I may not have any idea how you might express your concerns in RL, but I also doubt that trying to get rid of the art that raises said issue in the first place will do anything productive.

Like I said, if it's that important to you, do something about it. :)

[Scylla Rhiadra]

I am not sure what you mean by "get rid of" it. I have never called for a ban on anything in SL, let alone art. As it happens, I'm not sure that this really *is* art -- or if it is, it is badly conceived and poorly contextualized.

And I have been "doing something about it" in SL for nearly two years. Click on the link on my name, and you'll see some of what I have been doing.

[Lanie Windlow]

This is second life not real life, you may have had some kind of bad childhood or had something terrible happen to you but there's no reason for you to be putting your own history into a skin that mochi made for a theme of "What i love" when ya know...she may like gorey bloody horror movies and the pure thought of love...like she said "Just a heart on the cheek looked too cheesy" so she added something to it that most skins don't have. Most of you are making a big deal over something so small
I adore this skin and i think everyone should own it!

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Lanie, I am afraid that you are missing the point.

1) To be clear, I am putting none of my own "history" into my reading of this skin. I have, thank god, never been physically abused. What I am putting into my interpretation is an awful lot of research that shows glamorizing or aestheticizing something makes it more "popular" and acceptable. Think of what the RL fashion industry did with "heroin chic." Think about what it continues to do in terms of creating unrealistic body images for women.

2) Second Life is not real life: no one was actually harmed in the making of this skin. But what we see and experience in Second Life *does* impact upon us, psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually. If it didn't, there wouldn't be much point in using it, would there?

3) Mochi may well have put a lot of herself into the making and meanings of this skin. And if she had presented it as ART, in a way that contextualized it and made those meanings an integral part of our experience of the skin, I would probably have no objections. But this has not been contextualized as art: it is a commercially-available and marketed fashion item that is probably selling very well right now. 95% or more of those who see, or maybe even use, this skin will have NO idea of the creative process that went into it. They will see a woman whose cheek has been carved open with a knife. Period.

4) In and of itself, this skin is small potatoes. But this skin is also part of a disturbing trend in Second Life that is glamorizing the "abused look." And that in turn is part of a much larger problem relating to attitudes towards gender violence. I can only assure you that Mochi's skin is not the first, and by no means the only skin of this sort that I have criticized.

5) If everyone owned this skin, it wouldn't be very special, would it? Personally, I want it to stand out when it is worn: I want people to notice, and be disgusted or disturbed by it. And I think that most people would be.

[Lanie Windlow]

1. I don't pay attention to fashion in real life, therefor i really don't care what's going on. Their life not mine :)

2. When i mean second life isn't real life i mean it in the most obvious way in my mind, you shouldn't be adding your feelings to a piece of pixel clothing or an online skin.

3. Isn't all clothing/skin/hair/shoes on second life made for money? :)

4. So what if the "abused look" is taking over? You don't have to be apart of it. There's many and many people that are moving on to boho chic or you know avant garde out of the ordinary looks. You shouldn't care what others wear

5. It's marketing, like i said, i don't care.

[Lanie Windlow]

I'd like to add when i mean you shouldn't be adding your feelings to a piece of pixels i meant that consumers shoul have an opinion "Oh that's cute!" or "cute...not me" or even "UGH EW HATE IT!" but there's no reason to be getting upset and relating real life to pixel skins hair and clothing

Also, I read your blog Scylla and honestly it made me laugh a little, you take second life way too seriously. Gor, BDSM, fetishes...it's all up to the person doing it. You need to let loose and realize Second life is only a game. True many people make money there or meet people who they end up getting involved in real life with but that rarely happens...stop being so serious over a game and what happens in games :)

[Aliana Tomsen]

I dont know why so many people are screaming around because of this skin?

In world are so many Skins with bruises, cuts int the face and body, looking like someone beat them right into hospital but there is no such talking about this.
Before we all talk about not having a cut like a heart in our face we should talk about the "furniture" where you beat women during you rape or, or get "*ß#!" by animals or something like that.
Everybody has a right to be individual, if you want to wear that skin, alright. The person that cant see the difference between sl and rl ( we cant fly in rl or click on something to buy it), this person isnt ready to live a virtual life.

Its all about to tolerance it, the acceptation is our own upinion but dont say that this person has no right to do this. Thats not the way of tolerance.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

If you choose to make a strong personal or artistic statement (such as creating or wearing this skin), you're going to get strong reactions. These reactions will not always be possible. Suck it up.

I absolutely believe people should be free to offend others. But the people so offended have just as much right to express their revulsion as you do to wear something this repulsive.

If you can't handle the backlash, don't make the statement. You don't get to "freak the mundanes" and then demand that they shut up and endure it. It doesn't work that way.

And I'm speaking from the viewpoint of someone who has done more than my fair share of shaking up cultural norms.

[Emerald Wynn]

But on another note . . . AWWWWW! Look what a CUTIE Mochi is in RL!!!

I'm always more fascinated by the people behind the avatars and their stories - if we knew Mochi as her RL self, maybe some people could better understand her perspective as expressed through her skin.

I'm also with the "if it bugs you, don't buy it" camp.

I wouldn't classify this skin as an ode to cutters or abused women. There are people who carve in lieu of tattoos and consider it a strong form of self-expression. But regardless of all that, I doubt Mochi was thinking about this skin on such an intense level. I bought it, for instance, because I wear my heart on my sleeve so much sometimes that it might as well be carved on my forehead. That's how I interpreted it artistically.

And maybe some people who are drawn to these battered skins even wear them as a statement to express just awful abuse can be. They catch your eye - look at how bruised and scarred they are. There are women all over the world who look like this. So look at this skin, be reminded of how awful abuse can be and pay attention to the cause of domestic violence prevention.

Just some thoughts.

[A̡̟̦̞̙̦̠̳ͬͭ̈̔̑̊ť̛̗̜̱̖͉͕̰̤̊ͭ̄̌ͦl̵̢̠̗̩̲̞͙̔ͦ͆̏̓ͤͥ̐͢a̶ͯ̃̓̽͑҉̱̖̦̭̼̝̹̱̜͟s̸͈͚̏́͋͞ ̱͕̙̖͇̗ͧͩ̍ͮͬ̿͊ͥ̀̚̕Ş̻̰͉͕̪͓̹̦̈̆̉̎͞ͅh̙̮̙̽ͮ́ͨ̋̑rͪ͐̂҉̴͓̞̝̺̭u̓�]

It's so obvious to anyone actually reading this for content that you are just some attention whore looking for a quick story.

I cant believe sheeple like the ones in the comment section actually go for this and believe it in any way promotes woman abuse.

Then again, yes I can.

[Lanie Windlow]

For those who keep saying "IF WE KNEW HER STORY OMG WE'D KNOW THE SKIN!" Do you seriously need to know the story of a skin to get that it's just a -censored- heart on a preview skin?! It blows my mind that you think it's abuse/goes toward woman beating. It's second life get over yourself.
It pisses me off that people get this upset over a SKIN! a pixel skin that you'll NEVER mention in real life never SEE in real life...just on your computer?...yeah..

OMG IM DRESSING UP MY PIXEL DOLLY TO LOOK ABUSED!! Whatever

Get the stick out of your -censored- and grow up...start worrying more about your real life than some skin or some bloody bdsm stick going through your pixel -censored- to each his own and if you get upset over others idea of sexy or cute..or hot..ignore it! Virtual world...c'mon now. This is getting old.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Can we all taste the delicious irony of blowing up in an invective-laden tirade against other people getting upset?

Noms.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

As Arcadia so wisely noted during the debate over the Battle Royale skins, "Context matters." Again, had Mochi contextualized this as art -- "framed" it, so to speak, and ensured that it would be "read" within that context -- it might have been interesting. Indeed, properly contextualized, it might have been a powerful statement *against* domestic abuse.

Making it available, however, as a fashion accessory to someone going out for a night of fun-filled dancing and music, however, produces a rather different meaning.

And Lanie? If you can look at a picture of a scripted spike with a naked, bleeding woman impaled upon it, and the tag line "F*ck your slave while they die," and STILL conclude that, "gosh, it's really all just good, harmless fun," then we are clearly not speaking the same language. In fact, I don't think we are even on the same planet.

[Lanie Windlow]

I'm from plant "I really don't give a fuck" It's sl, and true it may be some sick and weird fetish but that's THEIR BUISNESS. Not yours and not mine. If it has no direct impact on me i really don't give a shit. I'm narcissistic and cynical all in my own world. I see no problem with this skin and i see no problem with people having their fetish. They wanna go to jail for killing a woman? That's how they'll do it. They wanna live out their fetish in a virtual world let them. I say stop being so serious over such a small virtual world. It get pretty pathetic and boring after a while.

And you know, last night i was tempted to get out my bloody folders and become the next "abused woman" wearing this skin because i find it ADORABLE :)

[Scylla Rhiadra]

"I really don't give a fuck"

Yep, I guess that is the difference between us.

I do.

[Lanie Windlow]

It's funny how you've gone semi-off topic.

I just have one question for you...Why do you care so much about a virtual world? Why not do something in real life rather rant and vent about stuff that happens on second life?
What happenns in real life if you put it into second life can not physically hurt you...to rant and vent about fetishes and peoples opinion on blood and gore...in sl..it's stupid.
I'd appreciate it more if it were real life and real matters...
Getting your panties in a bunch over a very cute skin is kind of pathetic...condiersing you don't have to buy it and honestly you can ignore it.
I saw your post about the gala skins, you realize those skins are based off a movie? You don't have to look at it, nor do you have to buy it.
Just go on your dandy way and ignore this skin, stop getting so butt hurt over an online world :)
And honestly i wouldn't want to be, i'm glad i don't give a fuck because it lets me have fun and be happy...while you care too much and get butt hurt and whiney over a skin that was put out for a project which she took into her own hands to create for what she loves.
I love blood and gore and horror and zombies and fight movies too :)

[Arcadia Codesmith]

"Context matters."

I'll stand by that. I would not find this especially disturbing in a post-apocalyptic, gothic horror, or dark fantasy setting. It would work as a badge of barbaric tribal solidarity, or as a manifestation of madness.

Devoid of context? It's ambiguous at best and actively painful to anybody with a sense of empathy. Art can include sharp edges, but it also has to have a point.

[Verinne Ansar]

I didn't bother to read half this post or half the comments that followed it. Simply because the "brutalized avatar chic" line was just, like, retarded?

I did read lanie's comment though and I thought the same thing, about curio's battle royale.

It's women who get so upset over it that make it seem like that's what it's promoting. Why are you so paranoid? I was abused and I wear this skin ALL THE TIME.

I'm not wearing it because its brutal, I'm not wearing it because I want to look like a vicitm, I'm not wearing it to support abuse to women, I'm wearing it because I like it and its cute.

And who feels the need to post someones RL picture in a post about a skin within SL? Honestly, that's kind of bizarre.

Whatever bloody, brutal chic is, it's non-existent. This skin is just a skin, just like I can go out and buy some whip marks (where I wear around, WHILE IN NORMAL CLOTHING).

If you're so against abuse to women, stop victimizing YOURSELVES by crying wolf. If you don't like it, don't buy it, don't wear it. It's that simple.

Artistic License, deal with it.

[Verinne Ansar]

Actually, you know what. I'm not done yet.

I really want to know where someone got the balls and audacity to post someones real-life picture on a post that is in no way related to a real life photo?

This is a news? site? about SECOND LIFE, where did Mochi's RL photo come in to play in all of this? It wasn't needed and doesn't fit in and kind of rude, don't you think?

/end rant.

[Lanie Windlow]

Oh and...this is why females shouldn't be allowed to have computers, should you be making me a sandwhich right now? :)

Also: *Clings to ver* <3333

[Verinne Ansar]

I'll make you a sammich, honeybunches.
While I have blood oozing from the heart carved in my face.

I did it all for you.
Oh, and also because blood beats Ketchup.

[Arcadia Codesmith]

w/e

[Lanie Windlow]

Aw you're so adorable buttercup, i think we should get out the folders of bloody clothing and post them on flickr :) blog about bloody gore and disgusting abuse...you know...what we usually do on thursday nights

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Trivializing abuse and violence?

Noooooo ... of course not ...!

Can't imagine why I thought it might.

[CyFishy Traveler]

I've seen all kinds of bloody, gory, zombie skins out there. I've also seen child skins that have the option for skinned knees and wee stick-on bandages. Wounds painted onto the skin template are certainly nothing new.

Nobody seems to be bothered until the blood shows up alongside the pretty. Which may say more about those who object than it does about the creator.

[Pixa]

Haha, I soo have to agree with Verinne, when a friend showed me this post my first thought was like 'Who the fuck made this derpy title/tag line for the post up?' ... when the article was rezzed I went over to 'Why the hell is there a RL pic of her?'

I do understand the whole 'What's behind the avatar' thing, but people use it to verbally attack her because of her age, cute looks.. whatever, which is not fair. If she was 21 or 50... the theme of this project was WHAT I LOVE.. dude, if that is what she loves, let her be.

I am not ramming a huge stick up my tushy because some of you have a few ethically questionable likes or kinks.. and I am sure you do, each and every one of you, Ladies.
Really, no offense to expressing your opinion but attacking a human being personally for what THEY love is kind of below your own standards.. or should be.

[Lanie Windlow]

Cy: Exactly. And skinned knees on child skins don't point to abuse do they? It makes they were being "kids"

[Lanie Windlow]

Cy: Exactly. And skinned knees on child skins don't point to abuse do they? It makes they were being "kids"

[Patrick Henry]

As I sit here in SL with my KFC bucket turned upside down on my head as hat, a strait jacket on and a syringe stuck in my forehead I'm wondering the same as Fogwoman.
WTF?
If you like it, buy it.
If you dont like it, don't buy it.
I'll wear what I want. You wear what you want and we;'ll all jst get along. K? K!

[Bunny Brickworks]

Best. Advertising. Ever.

[Silverfox Rainbow]

ok everyone take a chill pill and calm down for 5 minutes.
i agree with the whole each to their own, sl is a vitrual world, where anyone can be what the want to be.
but i admit, things like the BDSM, bruising and blood do go overboard in some places.
but just cause it exists, doesnt mean you have to go looking for it.
i have chronic depression irl, there have been times in the past where i wanted to cut myself, it doesnt agree with me personally. i well not buy this skin, but i admire the artist for doing what she does.
so each to their own again?

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Wear what you will. But if you're going to push boundries and then whine and rant when the boundries push back, here's the world's smallest violin playing (appropriately enough) "My Heart Bleeds For You".

[Galatea Gynoid]

"What is art if it doesn't make you feel anything?"

Not art at all.

As for what it symbolizes, if the meaning isn't something we ourselves insert into it, if we don't see different things, then it isn't very good art. Ultimately what people see in it, if it's succeeding as art, reflects the person seeing it more than the art itself. If it wasn't ambiguous, it'd be to art what legal contracts are to great literature.

[ColeMarie Soleil]

I LOVE YOU MOCHI.

That is all.

Oh and this whole uproar about abuse-chic fashion = retarded.

[Carmen Gray]

Abuse is bad in any form. Yes the Artist has their rights, but so do abused women and the artist should think about that as well. Yes SL has people in it that want to be abused and tortured so I can see why the artist made it, for those who want to be abused. But if you ever where abused you would not think it is cute, funny or good to look at

[Mistletoe]

Created by Mochi Milena, it's the latest example of what might be called "brutalized avatar chic", which subverts Second Life's popular fashionista scene with style that suggests abuse, even torture.

That's just plain sick. I keep reading those words over: "style that suggests abuse, even torture." The skin in question is shocking and definitely produces a mood when looked at, and as far as art is concerned I can appreciate that. She wanted to suggest emotional pain; well by golly she did that.

But to pass such things off, as this post is doing, as 'chic', pisses me off. To glamorize abuse and torture as fashionable and "chic" is not cute, not hot, and in my opinion, nine kinds of wrong. I guess that makes me a 'rabid feminist", then, to be offended by the idea of violence against women as fashionable. I can live with that.

People are over thinking and taking it out of context...
Well until a skin comes with the "context" written on it, that's the only way it can be taken by anyone who sees it.

[Niko]

Since this skin started a debate about violence against women, it did us all a favour, simply by raising awareness and making people think. Just as art should do. Very nice work, Mochi.

[Talia Tokugawa]

Heheh I was meaning to comment on this post for quite some time.
Try a Google image search for "BMEzine scarification" (not for faint of heart and almost definitely nsfw). Scarification is something that is older than tattooing. It can carry many meanings to many different people. If you did have the stomach for checking out the Google search, I ask you how many of the examples look like they were non-consensual? Hoping not to get into a "What is Art?" argument here, my thought on this amounts to meaning and process. Scarification has both in bucket loads. To go through this process the belief in what you are doing has to be pretty f'ing strong.
I really dislike the fact that any time a woman is presented in a less than perfect light everyone is up in arms over it. I have a scarred/bruised skin, I even wore it recently. My reason for doing so was taking part in a "fight night" event. Guy and Girls fighting, no discrimination between sexes. I got my ass handed to me in the first round. So the skin seemed appropriate. Could that event have been more "equal opportunities"?

Finally out of curiosity (another link you may want to be careful on here, if you don't want to actually see it, it's a guy with a fresh scarification of a heart over his heart.)
http://s2.hubimg.com/u/162065_f260.jpg
Does this image evoke the same reaction as the skin talked about in this post? Two big differences... it's a guy. It's in RL.