This Halloween in SL, Creep Out All the 20-Something Avatars By Seniorizing Yourself

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

I have a real soft-spot for elderly avatars, because you so rarely see them out in the wilds of SL. When you can be any version of you (or of someone else) that you want, most people head straight for some version of themself in their 20's. Maybe it's the fact that I'm still in my 20's in RL that makes me really enjoy the novelty and expressiveness of a senior avatar face, but it's something I really don't see enough of in SL.

A few years ago I wrote about how often the issue of avatar age is overlooked even while fuller-figured shapes and other avatar "flaws" are gaining ground, and not much has changed since then. However, if you like taking risks and turning heads, Halloween might be the perfect opportunity for you to seniorize yourself and really stand out from the crowd of sexy kitties, nurses, and all the other ultra-boring, ultra-clichéd costumes that will be making the rounds this month. Here's how to get started:

I've opted for a skin from the Taylor avatar released relatively recently at The Wrigglesworth's [SL Marketplace] [SLURL]. Like I said, not much has changed since I wrote that article about elderly avs, and as far as I'm concerned Wrigglesworth skins (a pet project of Nylon Pinkney and Polyester Partridge of Tableau fame) are the way to go. There are some photorealistic skins available for this kind of look as well, but I find they don't have the same depth as Nylon's painted faces. The wrinkles and details on most photorealistic skins for senior avatars just look dry and flat and papery and dreadful, so in my eyes there's really no comparison.

Taylor is one of the more glam and gorgeous faces available. Though she comes with a complete avatar, I'm just using the skin -- I didn't want to change much about my everyday avatar for this look, to be honest. If you want to you can add gravity to your breasts or some rolls around your waist, tote around a walker or a small dog in a purse, be a caricature or just be yourself; as with all the best costumes there's a lot of room to make this one your own, just remember to avoid using a senior avatar as a punchline (if you don't want to look like an ass at any Halloween events.)

In my case, I really just wanted to take Iris and add 50 years... And maybe as dash of the kind of kitsch that reminds me of my own grandmother. Iris, international fashion superstar that she is, would no doubt keep in shape and on trend, right?

There are a lot of clothes and accessories at The Wrigglesworth's that are suitable for your standard senior, from suits to sequined sweaters, but there's no reason not to wear the same kinds of things that your younger virtual self does. I decided to have a little fun with my look, so I picked the pieces from this month's Collabor88 [SLURL] lineup last night, right down to the dip-dyed bob. The pink flamingoes theme has produced a lot of items that are a perfect match for Taylor's Disco makeup colours. Maybe your seniorized self is more conservative, or maybe they're even wilder? Let me know, I'd love to see more young-at-heart avatars out on the grid, even if it's just for Halloween!

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Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.

Comments

[Kandinsky Beaumont]

Dear Iris -
as I am of a much older age than you, to tell the truth very much older, I have to smile a bit in my rl to your timing in recommending us to seniorize ourselves.
Halloween is the time when all scary creatures crawl out of their dungeons.
In Sl there is already a great adoration of youth and perfect bodies so us elderly know that old age is not accepted very well here.
Therefore it seems a bit ironic to make halloween the time for seniorizing - don´t you think?
It does not tempt me at this time of the year : ))

[Iris Ophelia]

Halloween is the best time to try out something risky that you otherwise might not, and of course to embrace the things that might scare you. I'd say it's the perfect time of year for this. ^^

[jo yardley]

Not looking like some 20 year old model is scary?!

[jo yardley]

I've always wanted to make my avatar look as much like rl me as possible, as I am a 40 year old woman who never wears makeup, it was extremely difficult to find a realistic skin.
It is easy to look like a 20-something model or to look like a granny, but looking middle aged is very very tricky in SL.
Especially if you want to look like a realistic middle aged woman and not the kind of middle aged models they use to advertise stuff.
Most skins I've tried either use lots of make up or have skins that look 10 years younger then what they are supposed to represent.
Took me a long time to find one that sort of matched what I had in mind but I'm still not happy.

[Iris Ophelia]

@Jo It shouldn't be, but it sure seems to be scary to the status quo.

[Quan Lavender]

The problem is the same we face in movies RL. Men are available in all ages and sexy of course; besides maybe the very old ones. And women have the choice between very young or grandmother. You have chosen the grandmother too for you photo. Where is the middle age, attractive woman?

[virtualchristine]

Dear Iris,
You are right, virtual worlds seem to be very ageist. When I started my blog a couple of years back, with the tagline" an older woman's thoughts on the metaverse" which featured my chunky,white haired,wrinkled avatar, I thought of it more as a rage against the machine thing. I never seriously thought more than a couple of people would read me. I could not have been more mistaken. Thousands of people read my old lady adventures in the great wide yonder of SL/ OpenSim; they leave wonderful comments,they come up to me inworld and tell me how much they love my blog; I heard my fourteen year old son tell a friend his Mom was like a star! Which I'm not, but being true to who I am, has worked for me in my 6 years of virtual and 51 years of real life. Be your beautiful, unique selves everyday of the year sisters!

[jo yardley]

Old avatars on flickr;
http://www.flickr.com/groups/oldavatars/

[Ayesha Lytton]

She's not too active in SL lately, but for a hilarious senior avatar you must check out Bob McBoint. http://bobmcboint.blogspot.com/

[virtualchristine]

Ayesha, Thank you so,so much for giving me the chance to bow before the undisputed Queen of the Senior Avatars! Bob McBoint is my new heroine.