Cosmetics manufacturer L’Oreal Paris is running a contest to select the virtual face of L’Oreal in Second Life. Celebrity has the scoop over at Second Style from last week, so you can get all the information about how to enter over there.
Apparently, there’s a concurrent contest for the French version of Miss L’Oreal Secondlife. Since my French is absolutely dismal, I have no idea what’s going on there, but perhaps you paid more attention in French class than I did.
In one of those interesting moments when real life thoughtlessly intrudes on your idyllic Second Life and smacks you across the teeth with that nasty reality, a commenter over at Second Style noted that she would not be entering the contest because she boycotts L’Oreal, one of the leading animal testing cosmetics manufacturers.
Which begs interesting philisophical questions about how separate our virtual lives are from our real lives. If you oppose animal testing in your real life, would you use Second Life as a platform to boycott or protest animal testing, or would you divorce your virtual self in a virtual contest from the real world issue?
Second Life may be a place where we enjoy a freedom we don’t have in RL, but there are some standards we will want to uphold both in RL and in SL. I think objection to animal testing is an example of that.
Comment by White Hyacinth — March 16, 2007 @ 11:47 pm
L’Oreal are also part-owned by Nestle, a company whose marketing of infant formula and use of child labour has provoked worldwide boycotts and direct action. It will be interesting to see if any of these issues spill into SL.
Comment by Bonny Basiat — March 17, 2007 @ 1:24 am
If anyone needs further info, i’ll get it for you since i speak fluently french as a consequence of beeing french ^^
Just IM me if there are things you don’t get
Comment by Deimos Lindman — March 17, 2007 @ 2:57 pm
I think if you want to act with integrity, your principles will remain the same in RL or SL, whatever they may be.
Comment by Cyn Vandeverre — March 17, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
I boycott Nestle and any companies that are owned either in part or fully. It may be a pathetic rebellion considering the enormous political clout Nestle has, but I am not one to compromise on my personal values. If and when (which will be a cold day in hell) Nestle ever change some of their less than salubrious marketing and human rights issues I may reconsider, but until such time they can sling their proverbial hook.
Comment by Histrion Vielle — March 17, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
I am against animal testing and animal research in RL, so yes if a RL company is in SL that exploits animals in RL, I will boycott them in SL also.
Comment by Kaiti — March 17, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
I didn’t know that about Loreal so thanks for the information on their animal testing products. I’ll also say that I think this contest is kind of weird since the skin you wear (unless you made it) can be bought. I understand there’s also a personality aspect to it, which is great, but it’s based on a “look” and in SL, we can all buy a look as opposed to creating one with in RL makeup or skincare, etc. I dunno, I’m torn about it because sure, it would be cool to win a year’s worth of makeup and be “the face” of anything in SL, it just seems like an odd way to approach it. Though it’s great that more and more RL businesses are working to get residents involved.
My friend pointed out that it might have been more interesting to have a contest for the skin designers so that Loreal could pick one to work with as the “official skin of Loreal” in SL. I think my friend is onto something. Something like that would have been very cool to watch unfold.
Comment by Gillian Waldman — March 17, 2007 @ 9:49 pm
Gillian, to address that specific issue, I disagree about the way an avatar looks being as exclusive as the skin they wear. I most often wear Gala skins, for example; in our recent Friday Interview, elka Lahane is also featured in some Gala skins. Even when she’s wearing the exact skin I own in the same shade I wear, we look nothing alike.
The facial design of the avatar has a huge amount to do with it. As evidence, I submit the fact that when I model clothes or skin for Linden Lifestyles, even when the skins change or are not my normal brand, I still look like “me.”
Comment by Sabrina Doolittle — March 17, 2007 @ 10:19 pm
Yep, that’s true. I know shapes are a key part of the puzzle. But my skin (whichever I wear) is the most defining part of my look - at least to me, in my eyes
Either way, like I said, I think it’s great that corporations in general are getting better about involving everyone in their in-world businesses.
Comment by Gillian Waldman — March 17, 2007 @ 11:24 pm
Perhaps L’Oreal is using this contest to collect information (lots of avatar pictures) to choose a skin creator they want to deal with for a skin line in SL.
I wear Tete a Pied skins and although I’ve been mistaken for Roslin Petion once, I really don’t look like her because our face shapes are so different. not to mention that my av is much taller and has a skinny butt.
Comment by CronoCloud Creeggan — March 18, 2007 @ 1:16 am
I had no idea about this stuff before…eye opener!
Comment by Kalia Meiklejohn — March 18, 2007 @ 2:52 am
Wow, I had no idea that L’Oreal did animal testing. That is something I am horribly opposed to. Nestle is on my list of products not to buy. Looks like I’ll be throwing out my mascara too.
I think our personal convictions carry over into our SL’s too, to a large degree. I think for a lot of people it would be hard to go against something they completely believe in their hearts, just because it’s not the “real world.”
Comment by Tigerlily Koi — March 18, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
Wow. I want to die now. I am the most animal-freak on Earth, I love them more the humans damnit! Yet, I praise and praise L’Oreal since years now and that is mostly *all I wear*…. *Vomits herself out* I am so ashamed! I will have to change all my products and habits, shooooooo
On a side note, since I loved (notice the “d” and the end, past tense!!!! grr) L’Oreal so much I was thrilled to view this, but on the other hand, people who read the interview about me here saw what I look like. I look nothing like the hoochies with see all over SL. I take big pride into being unique but looots of people think I am ugly, and I guess the judges for that contest would, too. They DO NOT play SL. Or if they do, they DO NOT know about what’s fashiony (and for who) or whatever. They look at the big croud, the people with photoreal skins, big tatats aned vaginas and that’s it. So I thought “blah, useless to even try”… I don’t even know why I just wrote all this, but I guess I needed to let it out.
Comment by elka — March 18, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
N.B. When I am excited or mad (so that means, pretty much all the time LOL) I am the typonisian queen, please ignore me. haha
Comment by elka — March 18, 2007 @ 11:14 pm
Oh yikes!! I had no idea about L’Oreal either..there goes this contest for me. Thanks for writing about this.
Comment by Torrid — March 19, 2007 @ 8:29 am
Vanity Fair, L’Oreal: Mode und Beauty überspringen die Grenzen…
Der Avatar ist die Verkörperung des Spielers in der virtuellen Welt. Dieser Satz, so banal der klingt, beschreibt zwei wichtige Tatsachen: Der erste Kontakt mit anderen Spielern erfolgt über deren Avatar. Wie im richtigen Leben spielt auch der erst…
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