Izzyisms

Second Style

One of the most amazing things Second Life has brought into my real life - among many, mind you - is my own sense of style.

It isn't that I don't posses my own unique style in real life; I do.  Yet I have never - and quite likely may never - have the resources to dress and bejewel myself as I do in the metaverse.  I do not live in a flashy city filled with name brand stores, and even if I did, I could never afford to shop there.  True, too, I am not a "name brand" type of girl; I try to avoid them as much as possible.

Even if shopping and money were not a problem, there is the issue of my body.  I have yet to find a fashion brand that specializes in 4'10" gals with curves.  Petite clothes are usually grandma-ish looking and children/teen clothes don't have room for my ample breasts and bum.  Though I've slimmed down my waist (back in a size 7, and sometimes a 5, woot!), what's above and below that area simply makes such clothes a non-option.

Don't even get me started on shoes!  My sister has a bit of a shoe fetish; I have never seen a woman own so many shoes - some she has only worn once.  I wish I could share her joy in footwear, but I cannot and never could.  I have had a "bad knee" since childhood, so boots were out and - as I grew older - so were heels.  Now my shoes have to not only be stylish, but have good support for my "bum legs".  Try finding all of that, and in a size 5!

My point in sharing all of my fashion woes is to point out this other aspect of SL that is so special to me.  The chance to be a fashion-conscious, stylish woman without worry of money, ill-fitting clothes, or "the impossible to find" shoes.  In SL, I can wear heels to my heart's content, I can sashay around in knee-length skirts (which would be ankle-length in rl, remember!), I can feel like a fashion goddess even if I'm just hanging out at home.

In the virtual world, I have the resources (L$) to spend and the body to display my wares on.  It has opened up a whole new world to me; a very fun one, I might add.

I am not - likely never will be - a fashionista.  I will never follow trends, shop at "the right" stores, or buy something simply for the name brand or designer.  This aspect of my personal "style" has not changed.  What has, however, is the ability to own a vast wardrobe of awesomeness from which to drape myself in.

To be blunt, I enjoy dressing myself in SL almost more than anything else I do.  Why?  Because there is a hidden, cool, and funky plethora of styles that have been hiding inside of me for all of these years that I simply never could realize in the real world.  Now, I can.  Whether I'm being "grungy, comfortable" Izzy in a cool hoodie and a favorite pair of jeans, or I'm being "kickass cyberpunk" Izzy traipsing around a post-apocalypse sim, I am getting to express a side of myself I might never have had a chance to in real life.

Clothes may not make the person, but the person can certainly use clothes to express themselves in so many ways.  SL cuts out the real life blocks that exist in reveling in your own personal style(s) - whether it be finances, career, culture, or reality that stop you from being that you, those boundaries simply do not exist within SL.

I can't imagine not being Izzy now that I've walked in her (sexy, stylish) shoes for over a year.  Through my avatar I have discovered and been able to explore so many aspects of myself that I might never have had a chance to touch on in the natural world.  One of those is the ability to have fun with fashion, and be myself - all of myselves - through a myriad of personal styles.  What more can you ask for?