9/24, 10:10 pm
Online Observation done in Secondlife
The observation took place in the Taste of India Mall and Desi Beatz Club in Secondlife, an online community with which I am involved. This is an area I love to visit, since the club has great ethnotechno/world music, and the shops have great clothing, some of it made by a friend of mine. The area has remodeled since I’ve seen it last…and I’m not sure I like the remodel. The club now has a look that combines a Floridian beachfront with Indian art, with a covered pool in the center of the dance floor, clear glass windows looking out towards the horizon, and tiles ringing the edge of the dance floor. Apparently there was just a cricket victory by India, as there are several signs saying “congrats to India and its great cricket team.” There are also a TON of Indian flags hanging in the air. The outlying area, visible through the windows, looks somewhat like Florida to me, with lots of seagulls flying in slow motion, open-fronted stores, and palm trees. There is a great deal of white on the buildings.
There is also a large bar in the room, looking a great deal more emphasized and realistic than it did previously. The bar is wooden, with multiple glasses hanging from the racks. In some ways, this bar looks like it belongs in an Irish pub, which looks a little out of place in the tropical setting. Beside the bar, on the other side of the opening, there’s an arrangement of speakers with one large speaker on each side, two smaller speakers within a contained unit, and small lights hanging from above. All I can think is that this is supposed to be a dj booth, but since there’s no dj at the moment, it looks really odd…almost like a salad bar. There are several half-circle seating areas around the dance floor, all arranged with flickering candles and seating animations, so one’s avatar looks realistic while seated. There are assorted blue and pink dance balls scattered around the floor, and a few others hanging from the ceiling. When one touches these, their character is animated in rhythm with the music in some sort of dance style.
The surrounding area is a kind of “Little India”, with lots of Indian shops in view, as well as a duplicate of the Taj Mahal. The shops are in a labyrinth layout, with marble walls, mosaics, and fountains contrasting oddly with the seaside atmosphere. There is a wide variety of merchandise available in the shops, with the emphasis on women’s clothing and accessories.
However, there are a few other items, including posters of Bollywood stars. There is also a store of shapes and skins for avatars, Ahimsa Shapes. Interestingly, the women’s shapes are advertised as having a “free pussy,” while the men’s shapes are advertised as having a “free penis.” Also interesting is that none of the male shapes are photographed with this attachment.
Reactions and Reflections:
I’ve never seen the club this dead; I wonder what’s prompting it? Is the remodel completely finished? Everything feels a bit jarring, as though pieces aren’t fitting together harmoniously. Could others be having a mixed reaction to this new remodel as well? Thinking about this, I have to wonder exactly what makes architecture and design work in an online environment like this…what do we notice and what do we like? Hm.
While looking around at the shops, I’m struck yet again by the huge role that femininity as visual gender performance has in SL. There seem to be more female avatars inworld, and the gender readability dial is often turned to 11…many of the female avis typically look as “girly” as possible. Also, visual pleasures, particularly those of ornamentation are such a big part of this world. In some ways, things that are typically read as feminine are really dominant in SL.
The shape issue is interesting; the women’s bodies don’t appear to be “edited,” but the penis is left off the naked males. Also, a slang term is used for women’s genitals, but not for men’s. I wonder why this is? Is there some sort of linguistic sexism happening here, and if so, how and why?
