Becoming pixels. Shame, body perception, and avatars from real to virtual worlds

Shame is a complex emotion that can affect multiple aspects of one’s sense of self. In this paper, I will address a particular type of shame, which I will call scopophobia, that concerns one’s body perception and is triggered by being looked at by others in a way that is perceived as judgemental. In the first section of this paper, I will provide an account of this construct, focussing both on its origins in the gaze of others and its effects on body perception. Then, in the second section, I will explore how scopophobia evolves in the context of the contemporary mediascape. More in particular, I will examine how body perception can undergo transformations when subjects adopt pixel-based representations of themselves, or avatars. After distinguishing between avatars that replace or reinforce the users’ actual bodily appearance, I will discuss the potential of both categories to improve subjective body perception and reduce vulnerability to shame.