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Do you think it's wrong of people to judge other people by the way their gaian avatar looks? If you saw someone in "gothic" clothes, does that automatically make them "gothic" to you in your mind? Just a random thought I had. . .

Hehe. Although I do occasionally run around without pants on, like my avatar, that's not usually what I wear. I used to be friends with a girl who tried WAY too hard to be "Gothic." She'd buy whatever she could from Hot Topic, cover her face in make-up, and try to act all artistic and cool. While I'm not dissing Hot Topic, or artsy people, she.. hmm.. well.. she was just trying to hard to be different. She should have been herself. I decorated my avatar the way it is because I liked the items. In no way is it done yet, I add items as I see and like them. stare I've lost a lot of gold that way, and now I'm learning to stay away from the marketplace while trying to save money for something expensive. Anyways, the point of my rant is that I really have no point. . . . where did I steal that from? - - Oh well. Now I've lost my train of thought. "The choo choo is off the metal bar things that hurt when you get smashed against them." As said friend used to say.

Um, sometimes.

I do judge people by attitude. What people write is the major means of expression, but you can't believe everything you read.
Don't rely on avatars, either. Don't believe in anything unless you have a good explanation. No matter even if I say it. Bhudda said that.

I don't want to start a whole big brawl when I offend people.. but the term "gothic" or "goth" really doesn't exist anymore. It originally started with the architecture on windows and doors... then to my knowledge, extended to the true Druids that once were, but the "gothic" of nowadays is just a fad.. I realize this because of the friend I had.. she drug me into the "Emo"/"goth" trends. I hated it. Just because of the way the people acted, and I understood the lies that circulated around it.. "Emos cut themselves," "Only goths wear black eyeliner like that, " " I heard that emo kids cry all the time." Lies. Not one emo I have ever known cut themselves, I myself wear black eyeliner and am not of either fad, and most of the emos I know are christian anyway, so they "found strength in the Lord" and never cried around me. Most of the people I see around gaia base their avatars on black clothes and the Nitemare items.. While they are quite interesting, it does not make you anything. Damn, I always lose track on what I start on. I think I'll run off to bed before I confuse anyone else.

I have to tend to agree with you, Skibi. I try to keep my avatar like myself but with a noticeable surreal touch to it.

I have to assume that most people generally pick things for their avatar to get a general theme or style going, however there are also those who clearly go for an unreal touch as well.

I just try not to discriminate in my book and know the people for themselves and not for how they look.

Reel Big Fish has a song called "Trendy" which is a clear satire of labels today. Some of the lyrics read "It's not so bad being trendy, everyone who looks like me is my friend. Please don't hate me because I'm trendy, they're not gonna laugh at me again."

I think that's a good example of people putting on false fronts.

As for my avatar, it reflects mainly my personal tastes in RL. I try to wear both mildly elegant yet dark. That is my style.

Sometimes a little bit I do, but I agree here with that I dress my avi in a way or ways that I can't try in real life. In real I don't have much dark clothes or go for the "mystic" look. (a friend called my avi stlye that) With my mule I have "skinny" clothes on it and it has red eyes which doesn't seem like me. And with my other mule its a guy avi so that is something new. Basicly with my avi's its what I like and a bit of person style that I have in my head and not really on my body.
I do kind of "judge" people on the way they write though.

I don't judge people by their avatar any more than I would by their nick, or any other superficial online presence. My avatar is in no way a reflection of myself, or my idealized self-image. It's a character, pure and simple. And I like to dress him up in cool things.

I do tend to afford a little more automatic respect to a person with a well-composed avatar, much in the same way that I afford more respect to people with witty names, or those who are particularly well-spoken. But I don't see a goth avatar and write the person behind it off as some whiny black-dressing social reject.