My Meez

Hi, meet Sharinn, my meez or avatar. I made up her name by combining Shannon, Erin, and my name, Jenn to create the name/spelling of Sharinn. What is an avatar or a meez? It is a "real" virtual person to be used in a cyberspace world. I heard about avatars quite a while ago, but I just recently thought it would be fun to make my own. It was pretty entertaining. I learned more about myself, and my meez, than I thought possible.
Choosing boby types, nose shapes, skin color, hair-color and style, eye color, lips, and all that stuff was well, sort of, liberating. You name it, whatever you want, and it is just a mouse click away. To top off the fun you can also choose scenery, animations, clothing, jewelery, shoes, and all sorts of themes. You want to be a belly dancer, then by golly you can get the whole outfit and the moves to go with it. I mean this was fun stuff. I can see why most of the avatars I viewed were created by teenagers.
So, I have a Meez, now what? You can do anything you want to do with an avatar. If you want to ski, dance, go shopping, eat, look for love, hike, work, or pretty much whatever you can do in real life you can do in cyperspace as an avatar. There are real people, like you and me, making real money with avatars, who own real companies in these virtual worlds that cater to the every whim of avatars. Sharinn can shop with my credit card in her virtual world. Now isn't that lovely?!
Avatars are funny things. Many people live vicariously through their avatars. Men have women avatars, and vice versa. Shy people suddenly find a voice and they can "get the girl" or "close the sale." You can be a movie star, professional ball player, doctor or whatever your secret ambitions, dreams, or fantasies are. People feel comfortable doing things in cyberspace that they would NEVER dare do in real life.
For me, it was an eye-opening experience. I learned a few things about myself, my beliefs, my opinions, and my life. First, I will be way more vigilant about what my kids are doing online, especially as they get older. My mind hasn't even scraped the surface on how much trouble one could get into online. Beware all you parents of youngsters. Do you know what your kid is doing online? My opinion is that if kids are willing to post their lives for the whole wide world to view, then that is all the permission I need to monitor their online activities. As if I needed their permission anyway, I'm the parent. Screw privacy. They can have their privacy in their room or their journals. It is a twisted world out there.
Second, I can't imagine where I would find the time to live a whole other life, even if it is just a virtual one. It was time consuming enough just to design an avatar. I can't imagine a whole world with a new career, family, friends and community.
Next, even though I could be totally anonymous, I could not bring myself to dress that avatar in immodest clothes or adorn her with tattoos any more than I could take her into a cyber bar, have her smoke pot, or heaven only knows what else. Sharinn is my creation after all, and I could not defile her.
When I started this whole meez adventure I never realized what a profound effect it would have on me. I found out that I am just who I am regardless of where I am or what I am doing- even when I think no one is watching or no one will know. I know though and that's enough for me. I am boring and way to "straight laced" I guess. Not perfect though. Not even close. Some things just run deep in my core, and I can't go against my beliefs, not even in a virtual, imaginary life.
Last of all, I realized, not to say I didn't know before, that I like my life. I love my family. I love staying home to raise my kids. I love being a mormon gal. I don't feel the need to have a vicarious virtual life. I would however, like to switch body types without exercising and counting calories. Out of luck there. For those of you who can switch between reality and avatar life, more power to ya. For me I will just stay in the real world and let Sharinn make her appearances here, on our blog, where she can have some good, clean fun and stay out of trouble.

Sharinn in her room, chillin' out. Who can resist some "hairbrush singing" to "There Ain't No Mountain High Enough." You go girl!