Avatars represent you in Second Life.
The Word "Avatar" comes originally from an old language called Sanskrit. In Sanskrit the Word "Avatare" has the meaning of "stepping down" or "moving down". Which relates to the god in this world who is moving down to earth.
In the virtual worlds an avatar is a placeholder and representative of the player. The bandwidth of an avatar reaches from a simple picture or icon to a complicated, full flavor 3D animation, like the avatars in the Second Life World.
To express personality and taste, players have options to modify character, look and characteristics of the avatar. In Second Life those possibilities to individualize the avatar are huge. This might be a key element in the success of Second Life.
Avatar
Two extreme behaviors can be found: One player tries to make the avatar look just like him. The other player - maybe overweight and couch-potato-like - projects his dreams at the avatar: big, strong, sporty and good looking.
In the Second Life World the avatar is the highest form of expressing personality. The strong focus of the game on visual elements, result in a focus on appearance and visual elements. Character and personality seem to be second choice.
The options to compose an avatar are quite unlimited. But the tool in second life is still easy to handle. The clou: Even in the game it is possible to change and modify the avatar.