Stylecards № 11

Does Second Life have a celebrity culture? This isn’t about real world celebrities who may have Second Life accounts, but more about residents who are so well known in-world that they qualify as SL famous. This was the crux of the conversation a few months ago between Sheri and I.

The creation of Stylecards magazine was inspired by real world fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Glamour, and many others. Naturally there are many differences between our magazine and those that inspire us, but it wasn’t until we were working on Stylecards № 10 that I noticed those magazines often have celebrities on their covers. That inspired the conversation above.

Do we have a celebrity culture in Second Life? What counts as famous? Can we calculate popularity or quantify fame? These are the questions we contended with and why we have Aline Passiflora on the cover of this issue, as she is one of the bloggers at the ever popular FabFree website.

Photographing Aline for the cover was a great experience. Not only did she already have a fantastic outfit ready to go, it was great to finally meet her in person. For anyone who hasn’t checked out the FabFree blog, I highly recommend it as a daily read. Aline and her colleagues scour the grid for some of the best deals to be had; useful for anyone who wants to save their Lindens.

In Stylecards № 9, I wrote an article titled, “In Praise of Older Bodies,” where I pointed out there are lots of reasonably priced clothes for many older bodies. Since then, some residents have suggested I do something similar for bodies that are underappreciated or less well-known.

Taking the idea to heart, but not wanting to cover the same territory, I decided to show off a selection of outfits that can be created using some of these bodies. From the muscular Hulixa to the waifish Anime Body, and seemingly everything in between, in this issue of Stylecards they are gracing our pages alongside the “Big 3” of Maitreya, Reborn, and Legacy.

Lastly, I’ve noticed that photography and film seems to be a theme in Second Life this year. A few months ago Juniper Events and Space Cadet put on a sales event called The Studio where the exhibitors all had photography-related products. This was the first year the event took place and I hope they bring it back every year.

Film, particularly Hollywood’s Golden Age, was also the theme of this year’s Second Life Birthday celebration. Glitz, glamour, red carpets, walks of fame, and lots and lots of popcorn were to be had during the annual celebration. As always, I didn’t give myself enough time to explore everything, but was captivated by some of the exhibits I had a chance to see and experience.

This is also the year I plan on releasing the book, Fashion Photography for Second Life. As I write this it is mostly finished, but it’s in the hands of some trusted readers and I’m awaiting their feedback before publication. Hopefully it will come out this autumn. I humbly feel it will be a must-have for anyone who wants to take great looking photos in Second Life without resorting to AI.

Ciao,