Why did some of you originally choose an Anime avatar?

[kathy bottoms]

After reading several posts on here tonight, this question came to mind. 

I chose my first avatar because it matched what I perceived in my fantasies and dreams.  It was a close up of a girl, and since my body image was always so horrible I left out that characters body to prevent me from pondering how I really looked.  That anime face had no relation to the real me.  Only to what I was inside.   Just as my current avatar has me partly hidden by my wig, and only shows what I find acceptable.

Kathy

[DirtyFox]

The character (Kino) I have chosen relates rather closely to my personality and how I view the world.

[Natkat]

I didn't want to put up a picture of myself as I want to be anonymous on the site, exept for if I am talking privat with people and such things, but I still wanted something who could decribe me abit.

I like anime/comics, so I wanted it to be a comic character and I just really liked this way this one is drawed.. kinda beutiful/cool/androgeny style..
also its a catguy, and my username is "natkat" which mean "cat of the night" so its matched the name.

[Rita]

I just think its cute, I use a real pic of me on FB though.

[KayCeeDee]

I like her personality.

[Angela???]

I perfer to show me instead of an Anime avatar. Plus I couldn't find anything that represented me( I'm not big on Anime avatar's, just a personal thing, I like the art side and skill that it takes to draw them though.)

I don't want to hide, been doing that for far too long!

[Clarity]

My character is Yukiko Amagi. I was playing Persona 4 at the time I first came out as transgender. The themes of the game resonated really well with what I was going through at the time. Also, I didn't have any good pictures of myself at the time.

[Sabrina]

While I don't have an anime avatar, this does remind me that I used to watch Sailor Moon growing up and remember loving it. Interesting that it just now comes to mind.

[spacerace]

My avatar is from the anime Welcome to the NHK! - he's the main character.  I picked it for this forum randomly, and I really like that anime. It felt nice to use a male image to represent myself, and I am sorta paranoid about having a real picture as my avatar, so I have just left it.

[Shodan]

My avatar isn't anime.
But having said that, I don't really want to put my ugly mug up as my avatar because I don't even come close to passing. Hell, the first time I posted on the 'will I eventually pass' I delete the post because I was too embarrassed. Second time is still there if you really, really want to take a look, but I warn you: You'll have nightmares for the next few nights. 

[kathy bottoms]

I don't want to hide, been doing that for far too long!

I couldn't show the me that used to exist.  But finally shaved, started getting happy with myself and opened up my new world.  But the original Anime avatar is still first in my Kathy photo file.

...... I don't really want to put my ugly mug up as my avatar because I don't even come close to passing. .......

I can't stand mirrors now, and it was far worse before I got to this point.  Cried a lot of nights while going to sleep because I'd still look the same in the AM.  So what if the old avatar reflected the girl I wanted to be for all those years.  It let me dream.

Kathy

Kathy

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

I use my picture.  But at one time I did have Sephirah-style avatar. 

[tomthom]

mine isn't necessarily anime, but it's just a profile of a girl I painted from imagination. I don't really think it has much bearing on my personal perception.

[Rena-san]

I choose Rena-san from Higurashi. She is so awesome, and I love the red hair. She basically appears all cute and innocent but she also has a dark crazy side that comes out every once in a while. I also like Nana from Elfen Lied. But I just feel more like a Rena now. I don't want to post a picture of myself because its the internet and I don't trust it. One day I might though.

[Carrie Liz]

I guess I went with Nausicaa (from the Studio Ghibli film "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,") because I relate to her. Like me, she's a lover of nature, a very calm soul, pacifist, always tries to see the best in people, and I love those scenes in the movie where she's just out in the forest, walking around, and taking deep breaths as she appreciates the wonders around her. I totally do that all the time! (Plus I wish I could fly like her, but oh well...)

If you mean why I chose her over a real picture of myself, though, it's just because I'm VERY early in HRT, and still really uncomfortable about my "girl mode," so I'd just rather have a picture that is completely female already rather than me in some awkward between-genders state. This may change once HRT has worked its magic, but for now I just feel better going with Nausicaa. It feels like she's actually a better representation of my true female self than reality is.

[DrillQuip]

I went with Tenchi from Tenchi Universe, because he's a sweet guy. I think there are many shades to masculinity like there are to femininity and I think he falls somewhere on the soft/masculine side of the spectrum. He's masculine but it's toned down almost to the point where he's androgynous. I think that best represents me, and I dont want to use my face for privacy reasons so he's perfect.

[kathy bottoms]

Hi and thank you all for your responses.  I've been fascinated by Anime for many years, and a few of the characters are intriguing.  I swear one day I'll attend an Anime convention in Sac or SF, just to see what it's like. 

To close out here's a youtube link that was sent to me a couple years ago by a friend who's in the Air Force in Japan.  I had never seen it before but then a few people said "Oh ya, that's been around for a while."  Guess I am old.   

[Kelly J. P.]

I use an anime avatar because I don't really want to have to look at myself every time I read one of my posts.

Lucy is much easier on the eyes.

[kathy bottoms]

I use an anime avatar because I don't really want to have to look at myself every time I read one of my posts.

Lucy is much easier on the eyes.

Oh god, do I relate.  I fight to leave mine up.

K

[A]

Why use an anime avatar..?

The question is, why not use one? To show one's face to strangers on the Internet feels quite weird to me. And even weirder if I don't like my face. I see no reason whatsoever to do that. Not only would it have a chance of outing me to anyone at any time, but it would feel awful. I don't like to show my face to people in everyday life, but I have to. Why would I do that on the Internet if I can do otherwise? Do you make your game characters to be like you or how you would like to look?

I think that rather than needing a reason for not putting one's face up, someone should need a really special one to do put it up. Defaulting to posting a picture sounds backwards to me.