Rooted in the theory of Social Construction of Reality and informed by media portrayal of female beauty and virtual community research, this study examined how beauty is socially constructed by gatekeepers in Second Life. A content analysis of 360 still images of female avatars was conducted to understand the extent to the beauty types that appear in the virtual world. Findings suggest trendy and sex kitten/sensual beauty types were the most-portrayed beauty types. Most female avatars had the ideal body size and light colored skin. In addition, this study found a significant difference in beauty type among different types of products.
AyiterE. (2010). Embodied in a metaverse: “Anatomia” and “body parts.”Technoetic Arts: A Journal of Speculative Research, 8, 181-188.
5.
BarkerR. (2008). Presentation of the virtual beyond-self on cyber stage: Real, constructed, staged, and/or masked?Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, 34, 189-209.
6.
Behm-MorawitzE.MastroD. E. (2008). Mean girls? The influence of gender portrayals in teen movies on emerging adults’ gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85, 131-146.
7.
BélisleJ. F.BodurH. O. (2010). Avatars as information: Perception of consumers based on their avatars in virtual worlds. Psychology & Marketing, 27, 741-765.
8.
BenoyJ. W. (1982). The credibility of physical attractive communicators: A review. Journal of Advertising, 11(3), 15-24.
9.
BergerP. L.LuckmannT. (1966). The social construction of reality. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
10.
BestK.ButlerS. (2013). Second Life avatars as extensions of social and physical bodies in people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 27, 837-849. doi:10.1080/10304312.2013.794190
11.
BiuC. (2010). How online gatekeepers guard our view-News portals’ inclusions and ranking of media and events. Global Media Journal: American Edition, 9(16), 1-41.
12.
BloustienG. F.WoodD. (2013). Face, authenticity, transformations, and aesthetics in Second Life. Body & Society, 19(1), 52-81. doi:10.1177/1357034X12462250
13.
BrabantS. (2010). Death: The ultimate social construction of reality. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 62, 221-242.
14.
BrennenB.dela CernaE. (2010). Journalism in second life. Journalism Studies, 11, 546-554.
15.
BrookeyR. A.CannonK. L. (2009). Sex lives in second life. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 26, 145-164.
16.
ChanK.ChengY. (2012). Portrayal of females in magazine advertisements in Hong Kong. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 22(1), 78-96. doi:10.1075/japc.22.1.05cha
17.
ConradK.DixonT.ZhangY. (2009). Controversial rap themes, gender portrayals and skin tone distortion: A content analysis of rap music videos. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53, 134-156.
18.
CookeG. (2010). De-inter-facement. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 16, 395-410.
EllisK. (2010). Be who you want to be: The philosophy of Facebook and the construction of identity. Screen Education, 58, 36-41.
21.
EmonsP.WesterF.ScheepersP. (2010). “He works outside the home; She drinks the coffee and does the dishes.” Gender roles in fiction programs on Dutch television. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54(1), 40-53.
22.
EnglisB. G.SolomonM. R.AshmoreR. D. (1994). Beauty before the eyes of the beholder: The cultural encoding of beauty types in magazine advertising and music television. Journal of Advertising, 23(2), 49-64.
23.
GoodmanJ. R.MorrisJ. D.SutherlandJ. C. (2008). Is beauty a joy forever? Young women’s emotional responses to varying types of beautiful advertising models. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85, 147-168.
24.
GuzelS.AydinS. (2014). A review of research on the effects of second life on speaking anxiety. Journal of Graduate School of Social Sciences, 18, 233-242.
25.
HallG. P. (2008). Choosing life or second life? Discipline and agency in a mediated culture. International Review of Mission, 97(384/385), 7-20.
26.
HarrisonJ. (2009). A virtual society. Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 6(1), 5-7.
27.
HartleyM. D.LudlowB. L.DuffM. C. (2015). Second Life®: A 3D virtual immersive environment for teacher preparation courses in a distance education program. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 34(3), 21-25.
28.
HuangJ. S. (2011). An examination of the business strategies in the second life virtual market. Journal of Media Business Studies, 8(2), 1-17.
29.
HudsonK.TaylorL. A.KozachikS. J.ShaeferS. J.WilsonM. L. (2015). Second Life simulation as a strategy to enhance decision-making in diabetes care: A case study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 24, 797-804. doi:10.1111/jocn.12709
30.
IbroschevaE.RamaprasadJ. (2007, June). A social construction model of stereotypes of foreigners. Paper Presented at the National Communication Association, San Francisco, CA.
31.
JanaR. (2006, August). Starwood hotels explore second life first. Businessweek Online, 24.
32.
JosephW. B. (1982). The credibility of physically attractive communicators: A review. Journal of Advertising, 11(3), 15-24.
33.
LeeJ. E. R.ParkS. G. (2009, June). Identity threat versus safety for racial minorities in virtual worlds: Effects of numerical representation of race as a diversity cue. Paper Presented at the International Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
34.
LinC. L.YehJ. T. (2009). Comparing society’s awareness of women: Media-portrayed idealized images and physical attractiveness. Journal of Business Ethics, 90(1), 61-79.
LynchB. M. (2006). New Starwood brand lives second life first: Aloft: The virtual version. Meetings & Conventions, 41(12), 19.
38.
MarteyR. M.ConsalvoM. (2011). Performing the looking-glass self: Avatar appearance and group identity in second life. Popular Communication, 9, 165-180. doi:10.1080/15405702.2011.583830
MbureW. (2009, June). Beauty through the eyes of cosmetics: The construction of beautiful faces through cosmetic advertising in black magazines. Paper presented at the International Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
41.
McQuailD. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory (6th ed.). London, England: SAGE.
42.
MorrisP. (2006, June). Gender in print advertisements: A snapshot of representations from around the world. Paper presented at the International Communication Association, Dresden, Germany.
43.
O’BrienM. G.LevyR. M. (2008). Exploration through virtual reality: Encounters with the target culture. Canadian Modern Language Review, 64, 663-691.
44.
PatzerG. L. (1985). The physical attractiveness phenomena. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
45.
PickeringM. (1995). The politics and psychology of stereotyping. Media, Culture & Society, 17, 691-700.
46.
RakJ. (2009). The electric self: Doing virtual research for real in second life. Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 32, 148-160.
47.
RobinsonT.CallisterM.ClarkB.PhillipsJ. (2009). Violence, sexuality, and gender stereotyping: A content analysis of official video game websites. Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 13, 1-17.
48.
SignorielliN.McLeodD. (1994). Gender stereotypes in MTV commercials: The beat goes on. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 38, 91-112.
49.
SolomonM. R.AshmoreR.LongoL. C. (1992). The beauty match-up hypothesis: Congruence between types of beauty and product images in advertising. Journal of Advertising, 21(4), 23-34.
WillemC.AraunaN.CrescenziL.TortajadaI. (2010). Girls on Fotolog: Reproduction of gender stereotypes or identity play?Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 2, 225-242. doi:10.1386/iscc.2.3.225_1
52.
WrenchJ. S.Thomas-MaddoxC.RichmondV. P.McCroskeyJ. C. (2008). Quantitative research methods for communication. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press.
53.
WuH. (2006, June). The construction of consumer population: A gender analysis of advertising in the 1920s China. Paper presented at the International Communication Association, Dresden, Germany.
54.
XieQ. V.ZhangM. (2013). White or tan? A cross-cultural analysis of skin beauty advertisements between China and the United States. Asian Journal of Communication, 23, 538-554. doi:10.1080/01292986.2012.756046
55.
YanY.BissellK. (2014). The globalization of beauty: How is ideal beauty influenced by globally published fashion and beauty magazines?Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 43, 194-214. doi:10.1080/17475759.2014.917432
56.
ZhengD.YoungM. F.WagnerM. M.BrewerR. A. (2009). Negotiation for action: English language in game-based virtual worlds. Modern Language Journal, 93, 489-511.
