Maniera Magazine-The Dark Side of Beauty

September

Dark Side of Beauty Edition

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Alter Egos Beauty Shoot These iconic alter egos bring the dark and mysterious to our imaginations.

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Fashionably Yours The cost of being fashionable is high. Here’s how to save your pocketbook and still look ridiculously good.

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Intellectual Property

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The Story of Us A look at how Second Life affects us, and why there is no Second Life.

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The Tale of a Scruffy Surfer Girl What does it mean to be unique?

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The Trials of a Beautiful Industry Don’t fall prey to these modeling pitfalls

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Cover by AtomicSparkle SKytower

What is it, and why is it important to your Second Life?

Mani Style Photography with a dark twist.

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Intellectual Property Doppleganger Now over half a decade old, Copybot still stalks the grid, but what is the truth about SL’s most feared creation?

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COVER MODEL: SAZZY OH

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This tale is not meant to be disparaging towards surfers, who are among the finest people on earth, but to share a journey of the mind. We each have our own definitions and for me Scruffy Surfer Girl was a time in my life when my physical world consisted of a beach chair, a surf board and a bikini. For over a year I lived on the beach and searched for a life here among the pixels of Second Life®.

One day, while standing with a group of people I became aware of a nagging feeling that my avatar was, among other things, too short. I thought about that feeling and realized my internal concept of myself was “too small.” I needed to “get off the beach.”

A friend recommended a friend, who kindly volunteered her time and talent to redesign me. She took the Scruffy Surfer Girl and by molding a new shape, selecting a wonderful skin, finding just the right blue eyes and deciding on hair styles, created a swan. My friend said I went from cute to hawt.

That transformation kicked up my sense of identity and confidence. Just knowing I had an expert to help me get the look I wanted lit up my soul. I felt “right” for the first time. Not just different but “really right.” And I grew inside. I was ready to get off the beach and remembered some qualities I’d misplaced. I recalled that I was creative, resourceful and enthusiastic. I put those qualities together, and built a Second Life®. Over time and with work I developed a much larger circle of friends whom I love, built an oddly eccentric home in the sky, and found a creative and challenging job that I do well. I also get the urge to go surfing on occasion.

Upon reflection, I realized how my dissatisfaction led to external changes that led to internal growth. I wondered if others had similar experiences and searched out a few who told me their stories of change and growth in Second Life®.

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Beyond

SkinDeep: The Tale of a Scruffy Surfer Girl

By Deepthinker Oh Photography by Eira Juliesse

“I was stuck in SL”, said Terrella Amat. “My role playing had lost its touch for me, and I spent a good deal of time sort of locked away from things.” Most of the people I asked reported a time when they felt stuck in a rut and near leaving SL™. Tristan Tiaret lamented that he “felt I was ‘spinning my wheels’ and got bored to death here in the beginning.”

I felt “right” for the first time. Not just different but “really right.”

And I grew inside. I was ready to get off the beach and remembered some qualities I’d misplaced. I recalled that I was creative, resourceful and enthusiastic.

I put those qualities together, and built a Second Life®.

- DEEPTHINKER OH

suggested alternatives and was supportive.

“So, I told myself there has GOT to be more here!” said Tiaret. “And my adventure began.

I needed substance. I craved challenge. And I stumbled across a girl at a club who happened to be a SL model. I have not looked back since.”

Sazzy Oh said, “DanD has been my mentor, my muse. He encourages me to think and to be myself, but I cant really be anyone but me. Friends help us when we have problems and encourage us but in the end, we ... Me has to do it myself.”

Kindly friends are very important in helping us to grow, but I really wondered how much external changes affected the internal us.

“I believe our avatars are a creative work of art,” said Oh. “A way to show the world a glimpse into who we really are. Even though true beauty is inside, we can show a hint of it to the world with our avatars. The biggest thing I’ve learned here is change is good.

Change came from seeing that you can be you ... and grow ... and be different, in how you look, where you live, the things around you. Each person, changes you a bit, opens Even more dramatic was gloria Gabe who your eyes to something new.” “had to leave the Portuguese islands because of wars and intrigues. I was the target “Wow. What hasn’t changed outward for of a great injustice and found myself in a di- me?!” Tiaret said. “I had no idea you could lemma.” change your shape ... and get different skin, with chest hair and everything! That one Each found a way to get unstuck and to thing alone ... that one thing ... opened up move on. “I had to choose,“ said Gabe. “I re- my eyes to a whole other world here. Wow. ally think we shouldn’t remain indecisive. So the attention I was getting from the ‘outWe should go in any direction our heart tells ward appearance’ was shocking to me after us to follow.” my transformation. So, slowly it had an ‘inward’ transformation as well.”

Everyone reports that a main factor in helping them get out of their rut was a friend who “I have learned to ‘trust’ those urges to reach

out and connect to others, where in the past, I would surely have talked myself out of doing so. My RL work has improved 10 fold, as now I have an idea how to network properly. When I come across a difficult RL task to do I ask myself, ‘What would Tristan do?’”

show that on the outside as well, bring it out from within. So I style myself in SL as I would in RL, that helps keep me true to myself both internally and externally. It was always something, during this process of becoming a professional model, that I was concerned I might lose. I’m happy that I was able to continue letting that shine through.

Amat describes her journey. “The internal I like hearing that I’m not like everyone else, search was my search for the ideal shape for it’s a great compliment ... especially in this me. It was there I learnt a great deal about fe- business.” male shapes. One could say my search sort of helped me find new avenues in Second For Mina Pelazzi it is all internal. She says, Life to explore. I have learnt a lot and done “You can change your looking in SL very so much I never dreamed of doing. Things quick, but you can never change your soul, will happen for you if you make the effort your skills, your gaps ... you can improve for it and often times it’s a chance meeting them, but I don’t think you can hide yourof people who will influence you, shaping self. If you are modest you will be modest directions you never realized.” even you are Miss Moolto. No, I think our souls show through in SL.” One aspect I had not considered, but that was discussed by several people, was “I am open to lots of changes for fashion uniqueness. Oh said, “It’s what I strive for shows,” said Pelazzi, “but in my opinion to the most ... to be unique. I don’t think any- be model on the runway is something like one else anywhere is like me. Of course we movie actress. But off the runway, I am who are all unique. Our life experiences have I am, except being taller and skinny. Bemade us all different. I hope that my avatar, cause inside of me there is a woman who the way I dress, the way I style, is unique to loves herself, who agrees with herself and any others. I work very hard to just be Me.” who is proud of herself whatever she is.”

“I have been told I look like Doris Day and have had people ask me for my autograph in RL,” SterlingZen Harbour said. “I wanted to keep my avatar having a look like the ‘girl next door’ ... which is what Doris Day has been noted for. I also think the unique avatar is me wanting to look like a Madame Alexander Doll face. They have such gorgeous angelic faces. And, I think my personality is coming through. “ “I know inside I’m not like anyone else,” said Annabella Firecaster. “And I strive to

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For each person, and myself as well, it was that realization that something had to change that got us started, and that usually it’s an external change that we do first. Often a friend pushes us along with encouragement. So, we try a new activity, get a new skin, learn a new skill, and that change shakes us loose a bit. As we live through the external changes we become aware of greater confidence, increased self worth, stronger self identity and a willingness to take risks.

The Dark Side of Beauty ~ Alter Egos Photoshoot by Eira Juliesse & AtomicSparkle Skytower

POISON IVY ~ Maniera Model Katherine Comet

Elektra ~ Maniera Talent Annabella Firecaster

Lora Croft ~ Maniera Model Julia Brand

Catwoman ~ Maniera Model CandiO Contepomi

Silk Spectre ~ Maniera Model Tonya Coppola

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