That anti-fat message is also reflected in the brand’s SL-based store, where a “No Fat Chicks” sign has been placed on a pedestal in the center of a showroom displaying wares for thin female avatars. (For obvious reasons, I’m not going to identify the fashion brand by name.) The anti-fat campaign has since gone viral across many SL-themed social media channels, and has even generated in-world protests.
“I personally think it’s offensive,” says Starr Nasworthy, who’d been waving an avatar body diversity protest sign in the showroom (above) for at least an hour before I arrive. “We have too much hate in this world,” she tells me, “We don’t need it in here. People have their own opinions on who they want to be in here, but to shame people’s body type and calling [them] fat pigs. No sir.”
The body shaming campaign, it should be pointed out, seems to be entirely aimed at large female avatars, and make no mention of their real life owners. However, in practice that distinction is not very meaningful to many who are offended:
Talking with Nick recently, I’ve become convinced that avatar appearance is crucial to a metaverse platform succeeding on a massive scale. And notably, the platforms with the most active users, Roblox and Fortnite, have avatars which are abstract and LEGO-like or cartoonishly stylized (respectively).
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