Crontradicting Oneself

Nudity on Stardoll no longer constitutes a taboo.

Many popular magazines and blogs have used it  in the past, as a form of expression and art, above all, while other projects have thrived thanks to the controversy nudity is bound to bring. Many would say that a graphic that doesn't involve the virtual nipples of a pixelated beauty would be more controversial than one that does.

And while most claim that all is done for the sake of art, that we are all born naked et cetera, maybe it's high time to stop trying to find the message behind a virtual ass and see it for what it is; a virtual ass.

Yesterday, yet another Stardoll related project was launched; Risque Magazine, a new, daring magazine, bound to agitate the still waters of the conservative Stardoll community. Its creator, the talented Aislin Victory -who, by the way, penned all of the articles- started things with a pompous Editor's Letter, stating that nudity can be considered a form of art. Which is true, on certain occasions. The magazine itself is filled with half-naked beauties, Lady GaGa quotes, empowering articles and a rather irrelevant, ostensibly, to the magazine's theme piece about cyber sex on Stardoll.

To be quite frank, I found it a bit contradicting, if not hypocritical. Being a fan of Aislin's and, in general, all for self-expression, I simply find it strange that she would write a grandiose article about how cyber sex is terrible and on the next page show a butt naked model. As easily as one can claim that nudity is a form of self-expression, a bratty, hormonal pre-teen can claim the same for wanting to "fuk hawt boyz".

Just as I've mentioned in a previous post, I am no prude. However, I do feel that sexualizing a website aimed towards children and labeling it as art is plain wrong. As far as the feeling good about yourself people seem to so easily use, I cannot understand how empowered and confident a teenager can feel upon viewing photoshopped images of perfect -and unreal- figures that bare all, pompously exclaiming it's self-expression.

So, to conclude, I believe that if the original intent of the magazine was to make young -and easily influenced, I might add- girl to feel good in their own skin, it failed miserably. Which is sad.