So I've returned from a busy week and I've been paying attention to the forums again, maybe a little bit more than before to make up for lost time. And I've noticed a trend. Female forum goer's seem to all have (or have had at some point) a female as their avatar. Whether it be a pixelly White Mage, manga girl, or the surprisingly popular photograph of the poster herself. It seems to me everytime someone has a female avatar they are a female, and everytime someone says they're female they have a female avatar. Now, there's an obvious exception to this (just guess, I dare you) but I'm curious as to why this is.

Perhaps women are so used to being judged based on their looks that it's hard to escape? Perhaps they seek validation in being lusted over by strangers, and will therefore post a picture of themselves so we can know who they 'really are'? Or maybe it's the popular feeling of having to prove you're a girl? I know I'm messing up my first, second, and third persons here, but I'm sure you catch my drift.

Mine's just a girly guy. Damn JRPGs. XD

Obviously, I do it for the attention, as there is nothing better for my ego.

Jokes aside, I genuinely like the picture I have. It's the best one there is of me, and I see no reason to stick up anything else. In part because that requires me to -find- something else. Effort.

Your suggestions sound plausible but I think there are two you didn't mention:
1)Women feel an affinity with female avatars, just as with men and male avatars.
2)Tired of the default "him" every time they're referenced, they figured that a female avatar might nip that grating mistake in the bud. (I know it's happened to you a few times, Larr-Larenxis.)

Saskwach:
2)Tired of the default "him" every time they're referenced, they figured that a female avatar might nip that grating mistake in the bud. (I know it's happened to you a few times, Larr-Larenxis.)

Being called 'him' used to really grind my nerves when I was new to the scary Internet, so much so that I'd be typical and kick up a fuss. Oh, funny ol' days.

But I don't notice anymore. o.o

This is pure speculation on my part but I think the Female users might be glad they have found a forum where they can show they are female and not be judged or treated differently.

Just speculation on my part.

Well the girl didnt want me to take a picture of her foot, which is why I used the knockout gas!

Mwuahahahahaha

I hate when guys use female avatars because my first impression of them are as women, and then I go to find out the opposite. Its hard to view them in the same light afterwards, I suppose.

My avatar is the manliest of all men that ever lived on this man-inhabited planet. The great and mighty, Bob "God" Ross.

On the contrary I find that I try to avoid using a picture of myself on forums. Generally I have found that as soon as members (especially on gaming forums) find I am female, they instantly disregard me as 'inferior' to them.

Larenxis:

Perhaps women are so used to being judged based on their looks that it's hard to escape?

This is my guess, but I'm not really the right person to answer that question I suppose.

Also, who says Yoshi is male?

I'm not sure its possible to tell with Protoss.

Ares Tyr:
I hate when guys use female avatars because my first impression of them are as women, and then I go to find out the opposite. Its hard to view them in the same light afterwards, I suppose.

My avatar is the manliest of all men that ever lived on this man-inhabited planet. The great and mighty, Bob "God" Ross.

...who?

read below post, must be an american thing.

Uhm, yah, guy with a female avatar here. Though King usually confuses the heck out of people who don't know her (in this picture she may as well be a guy, she even pretended to be a guy in Art of Fighting). I like women who look stylish and can kick ass in video games, there's simply way too few of them. A female muay thai in a tuxedo who owns a bar and is her own bouncer as well as bartender? Deal!

I always play as a male when given the choice in games though. Except for fighting games, where it really depends on how a character plays. I avoid the wimpy looking girls like the plague though, no matter how good they are in game. Kula for example, and most of the cast in DoA. Helena is the only female I played as in that game, mainly because she's the only one who even vaguely looks like a woman, the rest seem like underage girls to me.

Reaperman Wompa:
Bob Ross, that guy with the hair and the brush.
The guy who paints the mona lisa in the commercial break and then shows you how to build a tree using only two colors and making it look like you fiddled every leaf in yourself.
The only guy who can stop Chuck Norris because he'd paint a portrait of him and let him knock himself out.
That Bob Ross.

Noamuth:
So your avatar's a girl? I honestly wasn't sure.

No, it is a dude.

Like I said, just a girly one.

Noamuth:
Miss-read the post at the top of the page.
Well, there you go then.

Reaperman Wompa:
If I'm not mistaken, Bob Ross is English.
Hmmm, nope he's American, used to catch him on BBC though.

And if I'm not mistaken again, I do believe I'm Dutch...

Nope you are Vortigar.

He's Dutch in disguise.

"Dutchman in disguise" would make a great signature.
Awesome Transformer reference in there too.
Why can't I have one here? *snf

I don't really like having a picture of me as my avatar, I usually go with an artwork of mine or jacqueline du pre.

In this case max and mona... I love that game, both of the max paynes actually.

I tend to use avatars of female characters that I particularly admire, feel a kinship towards, or just plain like. In the past I've used Aeryn Sun, Shane Vansen, and Dana Scully, now I've got Vanessa.

I don't particularly try to disguise or advertise the fact that I'm female, because really, who cares? Unless we're discussing what a pain it is to have to wait in line for the bathroom at a concert, my gender is usually pretty irrelevant to the discussion.

My avatar is actually a pic of three female goblins... No, really!
[EDIT: My avatar seems to change every other day, between the goblin with goggles and helmet and the three goblins bunched together. Let me know which avatar you see, cause I can't trust my own eyes anymore]

I'm not photogenic and I abhor pre-made ones, so at this point I pretty much exclusively use my own art work; perhaps a better self representation than anything else I've been able to come up with. In such a context it just doesn't really even occur to me to use a drawing of a male, and unless I'd designed it expressly for use as an avatar the detail of nonhuman images would just get lost. Honestly though, I've never really been impressed with any of the teeny-tiny avatars I see people using; male or female.

Being a woman's a part of my identity. It effects the meaning of my words, and also changes your perception of me. How is it attention-seeking to point out my own sex? man is not the default human. That's just a bunch of social nonsence.
Unless you want to start talking about the rib thing, in which I put the sole responsibility on the devil in the form of the snake.

More importantly, how would you guys like it if I started talking to you as if you were women? Yall can talk about male things as intence even as ejaculation, but if I start talking about how I've just sloughed off a half-pint of blood from my uterus involentarily, its disgusting? (And unlike ejaculation, I'm lucky if I don't hurt)

OK, so the escapist isn't really that bad. You asked, though, so I gave my view about the entire internet.

Wow that was pretty graphic ^, good point though!

Anyways I choose my own pic for my avatar because I am awesome!

But seriously, I could care less whether people knew my real gender or not. If it will decide on what is being said, then it shouldn't be said at all (corny but true).

Haha, I'm a girl but all the avatars I use anywhere are of guys. I just think they're eyecandy :D Plus, anyone can tell that I'm a girl by my username (I even got "cats" in it too).

Jannycats:
Haha, I'm a girl but all the avatars I use anywhere are of guys. I just think they're eyecandy :D Plus, anyone can tell that I'm a girl by my username (I even got "cats" in it too).

Trust me. That won't stop anyone from being misled. I got called a guy agian even after changing my avatar to this.

Women inferior to men? That's bull, most times I encounter girls online they tend to be a LOT better then me at whatever we're doing. "And it does make me awfully anxious"

I think that some girls just want to prove to some narrow-minded guys that we ca be hardcore when it comes to games or other things too. And by narrow-minded I mean like my dad that thinks all women belong in the kitchen and shouldn't play video games, which annoys the hell out of me.

This thread is pointless... don't we have dozens of threads already on girls, girl gamers, and avatars ?

kinch:
This thread is pointless... don't we have dozens of threads already on girls, girl gamers, and avatars ?

Ah, but not about girl gamers with avatars.

Jannycats:
And by narrow-minded I mean like my dad that thinks all women belong in the kitchen and shouldn't play video games, which annoys the hell out of me.

but women do belong to the kitchen, the guys in my family are all horrible cooks :(
i am specifically not allowed to make anything other than tea...

Well, let's be honest there are more guys on the internet than women. So, if you going to assume one gender, then you have the best chance at being right if you say "he". also once again let's be honest and admit that a guy will be more insulted if you call him a "she" than a girl called a"he"(on the internet, in real life(where looks are involved) it seems to be about equal). And last, but not least: It is grammatically correct to refer to something of unknown gender as male. So what I'm saying is: Anyone who calls you "he" is technically in the right. That said, I usually go by a combination of avatar, username and writing style. This has been wrong many times, but I also use the fallback technique of always pussyfooting around saying "he" or "she".

...I just love Rena Ryuuga. If it wasn't this one, it would've been one of these

I think it can be easily extrapolated from my avatar that I'm male; it's gaunt and quite dark. Incidentally, it's actually a fragment from a heavily modified photograph of myself.

Larenxis:
So I've returned from a busy week and I've been paying attention to the forums again, maybe a little bit more than before to make up for lost time. And I've noticed a trend. Female forum goer's seem to all have (or have had at some point) a female as their avatar. Whether it be a pixelly White Mage, manga girl, or the surprisingly popular photograph of the poster herself. It seems to me everytime someone has a female avatar they are a female, and everytime someone says they're female they have a female avatar. Now, there's an obvious exception to this (just guess, I dare you) but I'm curious as to why this is.

Perhaps women are so used to being judged based on their looks that it's hard to escape? Perhaps they seek validation in being lusted over by strangers, and will therefore post a picture of themselves so we can know who they 'really are'? Or maybe it's the popular feeling of having to prove you're a girl? I know I'm messing up my first, second, and third persons here, but I'm sure you catch my drift.

maybe Because when you post you subconcsiously look at the avvy of the person you're talking about and remember them by that. And when you're talking to someone and they remind you of a bulging man ain't it smart to assume they're male?