In a world of easy beauty, what does it mean to be ugly? I've gotten so used to walking around admiring those avatars that are attractive to me that when I see one that's less so, I do tend to stop to talk with him/her. This unattractiveness is, of course, based only on personal preference – beauty is in the eye, after all – but it can take many forms: obesity, grotesque facial dimensions/colors, outright blemishes/scars/missing teeth, etc. I'm always fascinated by the multitude of variance in form that Second Life makes available to residents.

So, what's the impetus behind the decision to make oneself ugly? Is it a reaction to the standard mode of appearance? After all, the default avatar is at least average in looks, and the sliders can modify this in any direction. Is it the desire to provoke a response? A way to ensure conversation? And why do we think it's okay to start talking to an ugly avatar, when we probably wouldn't go out of our way to talk to an ugly person in Real Life?

One thing that's been made perfectly clear to me while writing this post is my own bias toward beautiful people. It just seems to be easier to do nice things for pretty folks, or to offer help to someone you find nice-looking. I've always thought that one of the strengths of interacting in SL is the fact that you learn fairly quickly to look beyond an avatar's outward appearance and focus instead on their actions and speech. Instead, I've found that the lingering leaning toward the lovely colors many of my own deeds. Herewith! I resolve to appreciate people of all forms, despite how their outward appearance might initially affect me. After all, many people find me somewhat scary at first, until they realize I'd rather be rolling around at their feet than running after them, growling. Let's all strive to treat others as we'd like to be treated: with equality, honesty, fairness, and respect.