Can Avatars Age?

You might ask, noting my fascination with computer-generated avatars, why I've never posted a Yahoo! Avatar on the blog.

My answer is... dunno. After all, I've made several. Why not post a few?

So I logged on to an ancient Yahoo account and pulled up my avatars.

Then I noticed something strange.

Although all of the avatars I made were based off of the same generic mold, they appear to age in a sort of logical progression. The most recent avatar looks decidedly older than the first one.

To wit:


At the far left we have an avatar from a few years ago, back when my chosen haircolor was much more "Little Mermaid" than "natural." (Herbal Essences Cinnaberry. I wouldn't recommend it.) I was a beginning grad student and still living off of a bunch of thrift-store clothes I bought in Minneapolis.

In the middle we have one from last year, where I've tried to bridge the gap between "professional" and "casual." (People who teach theatre generally have to manage both, since their jobs require them to do all kinds of extreme physical "actor-y" things.) Note the layering. As I once said, to a dear friend, "Remember when women only had to wear one shirt? Now we have to buy at least two if we want ourselves to be completely covered."

Also note the colors. I have a weakness for wearing color, even if it doesn't always suit me.

And lastly there's my most recent avatar: SuperTemp! Clearly it's "Take Your Cat To Work Day." And don't I just look as polished as can be?

Anyway. The last avatar looks considerably older than the first one, although they're all cast from the same mold. It's like The Picture of Dorian Gray, except I'm -- sniff! -- getting older too...