August 22, 2009 by Sarah Nerd
Being caught up with several real life things this week, I barely logged into SL. And with a lot of work still needing done I hadn't planned to anytime soon, but when someone posted a picture of the newest Rezzable scupture I had to log in and take a look. Titled "Grand Odalisque" this scupture is a nude plus sized woman laying comfortably in the center of a room with a few photography lights around. 
Seeing it in person shocked me in several ways. First off, it's the most realistic thing I have ever come across in SL. We have highly realistic skins and other items, but this is on a new level. If I were to show someone a snapshot of it there's a good chance they might just assume it's photograph of a real woman lying there and not a 3-D piece of art in a virtual world.
It also hit me pretty hard that this was probably the first time I had seen a model used with the same body type as mine. Her breasts were a lot like mine even down to the veins, she has moles, dots, and other skin imperfections. She has a lot of the same imperfections I have. Usually when I find anyone or anything remotely like me and naked it's done so in a negative manner like in bad porn or picture being used for a "fatty joke". Seeing this beautiful sculpture of an incredibly real woman filled me with a range of emotions. I was just really struck by the realness of the woman this was modeled after. She's laying out proudly, beautifully, and with a look of shame free content on her face. I felt better about myself in the presence of this sculpture.
If you haven't yet seen it in person yourself, it's well worth your time.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Swan/214/112/2006
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Re: Beauty in a Big Way
Oh I love it! It is SO real!! I agree with your comments Sarah about usually seeing us in a 'bad light'.....this is beautiful! thanks for posting :)
Re: Beauty in a Big Way
Glad to see 'real' beauty in this virtual world
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Re: Beauty in a Big Way
When I first saw this article, I could only see the body and not the head, so I thought it WAS you, Sarah. Though this is not the case, I am glad you found it inspiring. At the same time, I have to take issue with your statement about moles and the like being imperfections. Cindy Crawford has one - don't they call it a "beauty mark?"
It's very strange to me, and admittedly, a bit disheartening, that it's 2009 and a piece like this -superbly crafted though it may be- is actually regarded as "evolved" or "unabashedly portraying REAL women."
You remember Susan Boyle? The gal from Britain's Got Talent that stunned the world because, OMG, an everyday woman that doesn't look like Miley Cyrus can carry a tune? Sad to admit, but since then, I haven't been able to watch T.V. I can't seem to notice anything but how flawlessly airbrushed the actors appear. It's like that in the Nudie mags, with the models (didn't Tyra Banks cover this years ago?), right down to the gal on your evening news.
Whether you believe that "real women have curves" or not, believe this: The skinny girls are just as self-conscious as everyone else, right down to the girl with the flawless skin and perfect teeth, if only because she knows that 'perfection' will fade in time. Ah, brave new world, it has such archaic perspectives on beauty...
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[...] certainly one of the more striking examples of the beauty of sculpted prims. Thanks to Sarah Nerd for the heads-up. For the full power of the vision Rezzable have [...]
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[...] More mentions: L1Aura Loire (on both Botgirl and Odalisque), Emilly Orr, NWN, Trinity Halderstadt (on flickr), Michele, Soror Nishi (also a bit worried about the realism aspects), Sarah Nerd. [...]
Re: Beauty in a Big Way
Very well said! :)
Re: Beauty in a Big Way
I thought, when I first saw the picture posted in here that it WAS a real picture of a real woman!
Amazing!!
Re: Beauty in a Big Way
When I first saw it I thought it WAS a real picture of a real elephant....
Re: Beauty in a Big Way
FYI-Thats Sarah in RL!!!
Re: Beauty in a Big Way
No it's not, but I would be proud if it were me.