The Gendered Body in Virtual Space : Sexuality, Performance and Play in Four Second Life Spaces
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Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2012 The gendered body in virtual space : sexuality, performance and play in four Second Life spaces Judith Elund Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, and the Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons Recommended Citation Elund, J. (2012). The gendered body in virtual space : sexuality, performance and play in four Second Life spaces. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/544 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/544 Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2012 The gendered body in virtual space : sexuality, performance and play in four Second Life spaces Judith Elund Edith Cowan University Recommended Citation Elund, J. (2012). The gendered body in virtual space : sexuality, performance and play in four Second Life spaces. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/544 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/544 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). 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The Gendered Body in Virtual Space: Sexuality, Performance and Play in Four Second Life Spaces Jude Elund This thesis is presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education and Arts, Edith Cowan University November 2012 Declaration I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: i. incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; ii. contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of this thesis; or iii. contain any defamatory material; Signed Date 26 March 2013 i Acknowledgements The past four years of researching and crafting this work have been an incredibly rewarding period of my life. It is such a privilege to be able to devote a concentrated time and effort into a project which is incredibly self-satisfying. Throughout this period, there have been a number of individuals who have provided inspiration and support for the work as well as support for, and belief in, me - to you all I am eternally grateful. Foremost, to my principal supervisor Dr Panizza Allmark, I cannot thank you enough. Your commitment, support and unwavering belief in my abilities have been the most important factor in my achievements over the last few years - there really are few words to express my gratitude. To my adjunct supervisor, Dr Glen Spoors, thanks for the stimulating discussions and for thinking outside of the box – conversations with you are never dull. I have a huge appreciation for the staff at the School of Communication and Arts, ECU, and the MCCA School at Curtin University. Specifically, I would like to thank Dr Dennis Wood for introducing the world of theory to me as a young undergraduate, Dr Debbie Rodan for her enthusiasm and mentorship, Bethany Andersson for proof-reading and suggestions, and Professor Lelia Green for her support and guidance from my undergraduate years through to post-graduate mentoring, advice and support. I would also like to thank fellow early-career researchers James Hall and Claire Trevenen for their stimulating discussions on all things cultural studies. On a more personal level, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to my parents, John and Joan Elund, for their continual interest in my work, as well as roast dinners, snap-lock bags and take-home packs. Thanks also to Simon Elund for brotherly support from half a world away; to my dear friend, Dean Roepen, for his help on the chapter of Zeus specifically, as well as for the late night chats on just about anything, particularly in the early stages of the project; and to my close friends Nardi and Kate for helping to provide a life outside of work and theory. And, to my partner and best friend, Beck Scherini, for everything. ii Abstract This work is principally an investigation into visual and screen culture, using four specific regions of the three-dimensional virtual world of ‘Second Life’ as case studies. The analysis follows a thematic application of discourse analysis as a basis for critiquing Western screen culture, most importantly the cultural and social conditions that replicate dominant paradigms of power and agency. Of particular pertinence to this study are the framing, representational and spatial practices of gendered and sexual identities within ‘Second Life’ spaces. As is typical of the internet, sexual freedom is a given, yet representational performance (how one appears through their embodied avatar) is predicated on significations from the corporeal. So, within potentially subversive spaces, there is a normativity that persists which reiterates the ideological foundations of identity that are historically and culturally ascribed to. This is particularly prevalent in gendered representation – avatars tend to hyper-gendered expression and the excesses of Western bodily presentation and adornment, so that bodies are seen to move beyond all biological capacity of attainment. That these representational practices carry over into sexually diverse regions is perhaps unsurprising given that gay and lesbian culture has been in a large way subsumed into contemporary mass culture. It is the tensions that occur as a result of the normative acting upon the subversive that forms the basis of investigation, specifically the relationship between corporeal normativity and screen culture as well as the tensions between cultural conservatism, subversive representation and gender conformity. iii Contents List of Figures vi 1. Introduction 1 2. Embodiment and virtual experience 20 3. The body in virtual space 35 4. Tourism: Island utopias in the virtual sun 51 5. The Lost Gardens of Apollo: Intersections in space, nature and 73 mythology 6. Zeus: Masculinity, mass consumerism and subversive sex 94 7. The female body and the implied male gaze: The case of Eden 117 8. Greek Gold: Subverting gender 141 9. Conclusion: Screen culture as an extension of the corporeal 166 References 174 iv List of Figures Chapter 1 1.1 Apollo Harbour 9 1.2 Hyacinth Valley 9 1.3 Club entrance, Zeus 10 1.4 Shopping area, Zeus 10 1.5 Castle, Eden 11 1.6 Shopping area, Eden 11 1.7 Bar and waterfall, Greek Gold 12 1.8 Club entrance, Greek Gold 12 Chapter 4 4.1 Pelios, Greece 55 4.2 Apollo Coastline 55 4.3 Capri coastline, Italy 60 4.4 Apollo Harbour 60 4.5 Apollo’s 3D mountains 62 4.6 Eden’s 2D mountains 62 4.7 Salsa y Boleros, Apollo 63 4.8 Romantic seclusion, Apollo 67 4.9 The Castle, Eden 67 4.10 Eden 69 4.11 Beach towels, Eden 69 Chapter 5 5.1 Path leading from Hyacinth Valley 75 5.2 Flying above the Bridge to Nowhere 75 5.3 East-West Towers 78 5.4 Apollo Harbour 78 5.5 Statues 81 5.6 Apollo Harbour 81 5.7 Avatar, Salsa y Boleros 85 5.8 Avatar, near Apollo Harbour 85 5.9 Apollo coastline 87 5.10 Hummingbird, Hyacinth Valley 87 5.11 Welcome Statue 89 5.12 Avatar, Hyacinth Valley 89 5.13 Salsa y Boleros 90 5.14 Avatars 90 5.15 Avatar, near Hyacinth Valley 92 5.16 Avatars, near Hyacinth Valley 92 v List of Figures (continued) Chapter 6 6.1 Avatar, Zeus Club 98 6.2 Avatar, Zeus Club 98 6.3 Zeus Statue 102 6.4 Dance-floor 104 6.5 Dance-floor 104 6.6 Dance-floor 106 6.7 Shops 109 6.8 Shops 109 6.9 Advertising board 113 6.10 Advertising board 113 Chapter 7 7.1 Overview of the Dance-floor and Castle 118 7.2 Avatars on the Dance-floor 120 7.3 Dance-floor 123 7.4 Dance-floor 123 7.5 Dance-floor 126 7.6 Avatar 126 7.7 Dance-floor 128 7.8 Castle entrance 128 7.9 Secluded room 128 7.10 Shops 129 7.11 Shops 129 7.12 Shops 130 7.13 Advert 132 7.14 Dance-floor 132 Chapter 8 8.1 Entrance 143 8.2 Greek Gold Lesbian Resort 145 promotional image 8.3 Waterfall 146 8.4 Masculine female 152 8.5 Dance-floor 152 8.6 Dance-floor 153 8.7 Dance-floor 153 8.8 SL Marketplace, search query: ‘boi’ 154 8.9 Free clothes, Help Island 156 8.10 Masculine avatar 157 8.11 Two masculine avatars 157 8.12 Butch-femme avatars 158 vi 1.