Worlds of Bebe Naidoo: Virtual World

Nigra sum sed formosa. I am black but beautiful. I am not religious, but I will borrow from the Song of Songs.Ok, I am no Madonna either, but I am black and beautiful and I want to be black and beautiful in the virtual world too.

I may also be different from some avatars who like to change skins as often as they change clothes. I just want to have one skin and some makeup that goes nicely with it, just like in real life. Growing up in America during the civil rights era, skin color for me has always been a hot button issue. As an African American woman behind this avatar, I want my skin reflect some version of my real life skin.(The part without the cellulite.) In SL , I was unhappy with the way I looked for almost a year. I searched and searched and spent thousands to find a skin that would look acceptable. I still wear that skin today when I visit. I may change that soon having discovered something closer to my real life self.

I have been in Inworldz for 400 days, as of today and I am still waiting for my skin. (I have been promised, so my wait might not be much longer!) I want my skin to be brown, not tanned, not bronze, but brown and well blended. It is not a flat brown, but rather full of life brown. and I want it to look like I have African heritage. That isn't asking too much. Below are some of the skins I have tried on, some I have even worn for a while.

Join me as I look back at the skins I have tried in Inworldz......( I will spare you the Ruth look, I see her all to often.)

[GJCR] Free Skin

[GRCR] FREE SKIN

Kind of pretty, but way too pale. A far cry better than Ruth, but not at all me. Something I picked up on day one , December, 19th 2009.. I really didn't wear it for more than a day. She just wasn't me.

VALIN (INNY QUINNELL)

Interesting, but again too pale Also picked up in the very beginning.Dec '09

NEWBIE CENTER- DARKEST BRONZE (RAVEN CALLISTO)

Found in the freebie area April 2010, this skin allows new darker avatars to look fairly decent. I didn't like the way she looked in my viewer. It is a bit green toned and the facial features were a bit European for my taste.

BEBE- VERSION 1

BEBE-VERSION 1

Out of desperation , I tried to make my own skin. This version failed. As you can see the blending in the stomach region is horrible and the whole tone leans to the greenish side. A rich brown is not a very easy color to blend . Lasted about a week or two.

BEBE VERSION 2

In this failed version, I over corrected and the whole thing went orange. I don't know what happened with the lips. The stomach area got a bit better I think, but still not at all wearable for me.She looked like she could be related to the Joker.

EPIDERMIS EMPORIUM- CONNIE

This one looked promising in the pictures, but when tried on was not at all me either. And while the face was a pretty brown, the color from the neck down did not match for me. Overall, the detail and shading were OK, the color from the neck down just wasn't right. Great work on the cleavage though!

PULSE -AIMEE

I heard about great skins and tried out the demos. This skin is definitely not me. It is almost blue/green, streaky and very masculine looking. Scared me. I tried to make it look good, but I couldn't. Oh my!

PULSE - NOLA MONIQUE

This one isn't green, but more to the red tone ..I found her to be very harsh and severe looking. Again, browns are very hard and blending is a real bear.

BEBE VERSION 3

For about half a year, I wore this skin, out of desperation..I spent days blending to get it looking passable. Far from perfect, especially in the areas covered by the lingerie,it was the best that I could do. I did develop a healthy respect for anyone who makes and sells high quality skins.

KIKO LIFE DIGITAL COSMETICS- WALNUT NEUTRAL

My friend from SL, Osuntomi Melendez makes and sells skins under the name of Kikolife Digital Cosmetics After much daily begging in Skype, Tomi was kind enough to bring me a sample of one of her skins. While this skin is not exactly what I want, it is the most realistic tone and best looking in terms of blending. She looks pretty! I feel happy and like myself while wearing it. Eventually, Tomi will bring her line of avatar skins and cosmetics to Inworldz so that we can all have a broader range of skin tones, including coices of ethnic ones. Tomi understands what I want, because she wants it too. I want to look like an avatar with African heritage, not a brown colored European one.

I understand that I am in the minority, both ethnically and in my way of thinking but it doesn't make me want my skin any less. Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine that when you went shopping for a pale skin and all you could find was dark ethnic skins and pale skins you found unacceptable.. Sure ...some might look nice , some even very pretty, but they are not what you want, and lots of folks tell you that you should be happy because you have some choices.

You may not agree with me and that's OK. I took time to mention it because it is important to me for the same reason that I make sure my daughter has some dolls to play with that look like her. I'm sure there are others out there in virtual worlds who are not comfortable in the skin they are in and suffer in silence because they have few choices. Granted this isn't important like global terrorism, homelessless, world hunger etc...It is just something that affects my enjoyment of the virtual experience. Perhaps, if more people are aware of the issue , there could be more real choices for everyone.
My search for a skin has been a journey lasting 400 days in Inworldz, and I hope I reach my destination there soon. As for the other worlds that I visit, I am not holding my breath.

Shape: Bebe Mahogany

Lingerie: Bebe Mahogany

Hair: Myst by EMO-tions ( modified by Bebe Mahogany)

Unretouched Photos: Bebe Mahogany

Worlds of Bebe Naidoo

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Nigra sum sed formosa? Virtual World Diversity