Our First Women's Club Event!

We have scheduled our first official event!

01/29/08
Tuesday
12pm SLT - note the new time!

Susan Shapiro Barash,
author
"Tripping the Prom Queen: The Truth about Women and Rivalry"

The recent rash of books and movies about mean girls may seem to indicate a new phenomenon, but Longfellow observed about a certain little girl almost 200 years ago, "when she was good, she was very good indeed/but when she was bad, she was horrid." The 500 women gender studies scholar Barash interviewed for this exhaustively researched book on female competition confirms that women can indeed be mean. Barash outlines why women compete with each other differently than men do with other men and why women often want to sabotage powerful female rivals.

Male competition is goal-oriented and limited, Barash says, while women compete over appearance, children, the workplace and relationships. Why? According to Barash, for women, competition is about identity and relationships, and they have a harder time setting boundaries to competition. Barash devotes chapters to specific areas of competition, from looks to career, and then presents real-life examples of situations in which resentment and jealousy can be used to improve one's life without destroying anyone else's.

Overall, this study provides a helpful starting place for any woman wondering if it's possible to get what she wants without hurting or being hurt.

Rolig Loon, proprietor, Sa Roligt!

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/230/135/25 - The shop located through the pillars beyond the cafe behind Town Square.

"I started about six months ago, making simple things like T-shirts for myself. They were pretty bad, but the experience piqued my imagination," says Rolig Loon, a clothing designer who recently opened her first in-world shop on Elysian Isle. "I became fascinated by flexi and the challenge of creating fabric textures that would look good in SL."

Loon designs her own fabrics and patterns - nothing bought or borrowed from other designers. Her shop, Så Roligt! - Swedish for "Such fun!" - is a tastefully appointed space featuring her pastel toned feminine and classic designs. She says she is fearless when it comes to experimentation, and she works quickly.

"I've always liked designs that draw on nature - not necessarily literal butterflies and flowers – although I like them too – but organic themes that conjure up a natural, outdoors feeling as opposed to stark geometricals," says Loon. "I prefer soft lines as opposed to sharp, hard ones, and I like flounce – clothes that flow with you."

The sign on the front window of her shop says it all "Smart clothes for smart women."

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/230/135/25 - The shop located through the pillars beyond the cafe behind Town Square.

AnnMarie McCellan, LowPrim < HighStyle Furniture

SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Heathrow/62/203/22

"I wanted a kitchen - but the one I had was about 58 prims. I didn't need all the fancy stuff like opening doors because I wasn't planning on using (it), just wanted it for show," says furniture designer AnnMarie McCellan. "I thought I could keep the prim lower if I got creative with my textures. And now, my 14 prim kitchen is my best seller."

McCellan's furniture is modern and elegant, with simple, clean lines. She says real life art and furniture inspires her, and she often finds herself counting prims in her head. She leaves modify rights on her work allowing customers to match pieces to their décor.

A self-proclaimed "city gal," McCellan's designs are surprisingly affordable, and she'll build custom pieces to boot.

The New Clubhouse!

So much has happened since I first formed the Second Life Women's Club a few months ago. Namely, I have a new clubhouse on Athena Isle.

Right now it consists of:

1. An outdoor venue accommodating up to 40 people with a stage. For guest speakers, panel discussions and music events.

2. A 3-tiered meeting space. First floor are chairs around a fire, second floor are cushions around a candle and third floor is a Mysti Table for roundtable discussions. Most Isle events will take place here to start.

3. Athena Gallery - Women's art. Officially opens in January. The first month is to market women artists, subsequent months may include artwork for sale.

4. Gallery Rooftop/Party Deck - The deck is for parties, dancing, hanging out. Currently under construction.

5. Cybergrrl Productions Office - I'm trying to keep regular office hours Monday thru Friday between 10am-11am SLT.

6. Sky studio - For my new SLCN.tv show "REAL BIZ in SL" which debuts in January.

7. Cybergrrl house - In the sky. Consists of a little Japanese house and a Zen garden.

Athena's Gallery - Women Artists in Second Life

Here's an interesting article: Virtual Art, Real Money

In the spirit of supporting women in the arts, I'm opening up a gallery of women's art and will hold an opening party soon. This is a co-production with another cool SL female, Safra Jetcity, who is partnering with me on a number of arts-related projects.

If you are a woman artist in SL, please join our group: Women Artists in Second Life (yeah, so original, I know). And also feel free to drop a piece of your work to Cybergrrl Oh for inclusion in the gallery for promotional purposes. One piece per artist to start. Eventually, we'll begin rotating shows for each artist.

Athena Gallery is located on Athena Isle. Currently, we already have pieces by artists Brigitte Kungler, Monroe Snook and Eshi Otawara.

Note of Caution: Make sure you are not at work when perusing the gallery. We have some very FEMALE pieces on display that may not be suitable for viewing at the office.

Through the Looking Glass with Cybergrrl Oh

Lexa Dryke from The Looking Glass, a new SL online publication, interviewed me for the first issue - at the Second Life Women's Clubhouse.

Through the Looking Glass with Cybergrrl Oh

Support women entering and using SL, that’s the purpose of the new Second Life Women's Club led by Cybergrrl Oh.

This new club, which includes an SL group, a blog and a Clubhouse, is about “hanging out with girlfriends and talking about stuff that is happening in our lives, be it here or in RL”, explains Cybergrrl Oh. With a girly grin, she adds: “Guys are great but they aren't girlfriends!”

Men are not banned from the group but The White Rabbit was the first man to enter the land…

READ MORE...

Cybergrrl at Sophrosyne's Saturday Salon!

Link: Finding Sophrosyne - Sophrosyne's Saturday Salon: Cybergrrlz!.

Join us Saturday, November 3 from 1 to 3:30 PM SLT at the Diversionarium for a very special Saturday Salon! Our Spotlight guest Cybergrrl Oh (Aliza Sherman) has been helping empower moms, daughters and women entrepreneurs since the dawn of the Web.

I love Soph's description of my work. It makes me sounds so...goddess-like! For all you SLers, stop on by for a dynamic discussion about...well, everything that comes to our minds.

SLURL: The Diversionarium in Pandoria

Second Life Women's Club Clubhouse!

I'm in the process of "building" the Second Life Women's Club clubhouse. I use that term loosely because I really don't know how to build and don't know what I'm doing but having a blast doing it!

Here's what I need right now if you know where I can get them in SL:

1. Small statuettes of goddesses - low prim
2. Low prim chairs for a classroom style set up
3. Low prim whiteboard or announcement board for posting messages
4. Low prim waterfall with lovely water sounds

Here's what I'm putting together:

1. Area for sitting, relaxing, socializing
2. Area for mediation, yoga, contemplation
3. Area for teaching workshops & leading seminars
4. Small orientation area for newbies

This is a gathering place for sharing, learning and inspiration. I'm open to other ideas as well so please comment or drop me an email.

Welcome to the Second Life Women's Club

OK, here's the skinny - and don't let this scare you away from Second Life if you are new to the service or just thinking about joining.

The first day I arrived in Second Life, I was sexually harassed. The worst parts about the experience were not the nasty things the male avatar was saying to me or the way he pressed up against my avatar and pushed it/me around. It was the fact that my husband was sitting next to me while I was logging into SL for the first time, and the experience was very upsetting to him.

For me, online harassment was something that happened every once in a blue moon. Having been online since 1987, nothing really shocked me. But out of respect for my husband, I stayed off SL for about a month. Eventually, I couldn't resist logging back in to see what was happening in-world. I had a feeling I would love it. And I do.

As a woman in SL, I'm actually not too worried about harassment. Since that first day when I learned that people actually hang out on Orientation Islands to harass new users, I haven't been bothered at all. I find that if you look for trouble - or online pornography for that matter - you'll find it. But if you aren't, you don't just stumble upon an orgy. You really have to go seeking it out.

I now use SL in various ways:

1. Exploring
2. Shopping
3. Networking
4. Making and meeting up with friends
5. Organizing events and attending events
6. Starting a business (selling SL & real world tshirts with fun slogans)
7. Meeting and greeting new users
8. Teaching
9. Building
10. Writing about it (for SLNN.com and on the Cybergrrl Oh blog & Elysian Isle blog)

I feel like my Second Life is just an extension of my First Life - not so separate from it but enhancing it in new ways.

So I've started the Second Life Women's Club for women like me who are busy but enjoy being online and want to get the most out of their Second Life. I believe that women helping women is an incredibly powerful thing. So join our club, stop by our clubhouse (you have to IM Cybergrrl Oh for a landmark), and let's talk!