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• Monday, June 28, 2010 |
For most of us, fashion offers us a chance for self expression-and a little fun. Clothes reflect our mood, attitude to life and how we want to be perceived by others and there’s no greater thrill than a lengthy shopping spree to lift the spirits and make the day seem just that little bit brighter. Even in Second Life, ask any woman how she likes to spend her free time and well earned Linden Dollars and chances are, her answer will be a full on assault of the grids finest boutiques. But for one woman, Second Life fashion provides more than a fun diversion; for her it is a vehicle of positive change and a tool to highlight awareness of some very real life issues that can affect any of us at any time in our lives.
Keira Seerose is a self confessed fashion lover, but a debilitating health problem means that in real life, she doesn’t get many opportunities to indulge in her passion. Keira suffers from acute social anxiety disorder, a condition which leaves people anxious in social situations and can strike without warning in either childhood or as an adult. While most people in her situation would hide away, Kiera decided to use the fashion world of Second Life as a platform to highlight mental and emotional illness-a subject that even now, can be taboo despite an estimated 450 million people suffering from some form of mental health issue worldwide. Moved by these statistics, Keira decided to launch ‘The Black and Blue Fair’ a fashion event organised in partnership with some of the grids top designers to help raise awareness-not funds-and to encourage SL residents to think about mental health issues in a new light.
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