Body positivity & inclusivity in the metaverse

'In an environment where you can be a supermodel, people are choosing to be themselves. People crave normalisation', comment from Blueberry Entertainment.

Mishi McDuff, Founder and CEO of Blueberry Entertainment, the leading digital fashion brand for the metaverse with over 20 million digital assets sold, comments on the need to improve and champion body positivity in the metaverse:

“It’s vital we ensure the metaverse and virtual worlds are inclusive places where body positivity is championed. We’re at a pivotal inflection point as virtual worlds gain mainstream acceptance, and it’s vital that we establish strong, cultural standards from the ground up, with acceptance and accessibility at their core.

“Meta has predicted that a billion people will be in the metaverse within the next decade. These latest efforts to construct virtual worlds stand on the shoulders of the platforms such as Second Life — and the shoulders of their mostly male creators — that came before them. As a female founder of a metaverse fashion brand, I can safely say the metaverse needs to be representative and inclusive of its users.

“In an environment where you can be a supermodel, people are actively choosing to be themselves. For example, one of Blueberry’s best-selling items in Second Life has consistently been avatar skins featuring “stretch marks.” Digital users demand inclusivity and forms of empowerment not available to them in physical worlds. People are craving normalisation.

“This is because digital fashion acts as the driving force behind self-expression and digital identity across dozens of metaverse communities, so it’s vital we ensure it’s an inclusive place where body positivity is championed.

“Digital fashion is already an enormous business, and has the potential to surpass physical fashion as users increasingly flock to metaverse worlds. Digital fashion is more sustainable, scalable, and infinitely creative versus physical fashion. It empowers designers to release products to market in days as opposed to months, and transforms the traditional fashion model to one of ‘accessibility’ versus ‘exclusivity. The brands that get it right, with body positivity and inclusivity at its core, will help to foster a progressive and supportive culture for decades to come.”