Masked

Who is the woman behind the skin? For some people, the mask is so much a part of existing that it’s integral to one’s self. We hide behind the masks of our avatars, sometimes revealing only what we want others to see.

We use fashion as a sort of mask. Or a cultural representation. What does a top like LeeZu Baxter’s say? Well it might say we are fashionable, cutting edge, or simply girly (considering its beautifully rendered ruffle sculpties). The tied neck in back–is it sweet or sexy? Are you casual? Are you cutting-edge? Wealthy?

But what about the mask? In this case, Alia Baroque, who has generously sponsored the Dark Realms sim at the Fantasy Faire for RFL, presents a new set of skins to benefit RFL based on a spooky clown set—with fangs and without. Alia’s work is artistic, truly fantastical, and genuinely unique. We don’t see here just white on a face—it’s actually painted on. Our girl’s underlying facial structure is a little tough—she has a sort of stiff upper lip and a petulant bottom lip. The eyebrows are exaggerated but underneath the face paint, we can see the real eyebrows. This isn’t blobs of color slapped on a template—it’s true art. There is quite a story here about this masked woman. By wearing her skin, we begin to tell it.