Do I hop on the avatar bandwagon? Nope. My avatar is relevant to nothing but the items or poses that I discover most recently. Sometimes, that means my avi is wearing the newest items, and appears to be following the trend, but that is coincidence. My fashion sense is about the same in real life--I wear what appeals to me, and what I feel makes me look good. Following trends is for teenagers. My avatar's specific looks though are more of the fantasy genre, and I'm more mainstream in my real life clothing choices. I do match color the same though--I'm obsessive-compulsive, and not matching makes me feel like my world is horribly wrong.
My avatar to me is a separate entity, but in the way a doll is to a little girl--I like to dress her up. I like the fact that I can get creative with her outfits in a way that I can't in real life (due to my finances and my confidence level) cat_sweatdrop So basically, I suppose my avatar is a way for me to exaggerate my personal taste? *Is trying to give a thoughtful answer*
I mostly make matchtars, and like I said, the reason for that is my OCD. I would like to think though, that I've gotten better at making them matchy, but with just a bit of character. I usually stick to elegant or cutesy types, with pretty faces. However, I try to keep an open mind, and appreciate more types than the ones that I make. I generally like to base my rates and suggestions on what I think the person might be looking for. I'm the person who tries to please people, and appear likeable to everyone, and I suppose that bleeds into my thoughts on avatars.
I come to the AT to both give advice, and ask for feedback. Getting an outside perspective on an avatar can be a great help sometimes, and I try to give as much as I get here. I didn't originally come here looking for advice--I was looking for a new forum to call home--but once I wandered in, I didn't really want to leave! I guess I consider the people here the closest thing there is to an "authority" on avatar-making.
I think what gives people the right to critique another person's avatar is the owner of the avatar themselves. They come to the AT, make a thread asking for help, or suggestions, or for rates, and whatever they get is...their own fault? I can't really think of a better way to put it right now. You get what you ask for, and when you ask, you give people the authority to answer. I think everyone should ask for opinions knowing that the responses they get may not be what they want to hear--be prepared to hear negatives as well as positives. Conflicts happen I think when people ask for rates, expect only positive answers, and fail to maturely handle reality.
Sorry for the wall of text! I didn't mean to make it quite this long! cat_sweatdrop